Only in Sleep
by Meridianpony
Summary: At night, Sakura dreams of people she's never seen before. The blond boy, chained to the wall of a cell and housing unimaginable power within his body. The dark-haired boy, with bright red eyes and bruises all over his skin. The pale killer, with a cold heart and blood all over his hands. She has no idea how they're all connected, but she's determined to find out.
1. Dreams

The strange dreams start when Sakura turns twelve. She's just starting sixth grade, so her homework load has just begun to tower over her, dominating her uneventful life. Sakura has always been a good student, and an overachiever at that, so she throws herself into her studies with enthusiasm… at first.

She hadn't expected the dreams to begin-although in her defense no twelve-year-old expects to be plagued by nightmares of violence and horror at the beginning of their middle school career. And it is one such dream that sends her dashing from her own room, into the safety of the light and down the stairs of her home.

"Sakura, dear, what's wrong?" her mother asks. Sakura stops at the bottoms of the steps, and wipes the tears away from her face. Her mother is sitting at the dining room table, pen in hand and hovering over a newspaper article.

"I… had a nightmare," Sakura admits shamefully. She folds her arms across her chest, and suddenly realizes how stupid she's being. She's _twelve._ She doesn't need to run to her parents for every bit of discomfort she has. She turns, about to retreat back to her room, but a _click_ sounds behind her as her mother sets down her pen.

"Are you alright, sweetie? Come here," her mother says soothingly. For all of her earlier mortification Sakura doesn't hesitate to throw herself into her mother's embrace, and without warning her tears threaten to return. Her eyes water uncontrollably. Her body trembles.

"Oh, no," her mother coos. "It's alright, Sakura, I promise. Just a dream. Would you like to talk about it?"

Sakura shakes her head mutely. Her mother sighs.

"It might feel better if you let it out right now. No good thing comes from holding in such bad thoughts," her mother presses gently. Sakura shudders.

"I… it was terrible," she whispers. "It was dark, and I couldn't move. And there was—there was an _evil_ feel in the air. Some sort of monster…"

Her mother squeezes her tightly and smiles.

"Well, it's all over now," she reassures. "You're awake, and you won't have to deal with it ever again."

Sakura takes a deep breath.

"You're right, Mom," she says shakily. "I'm fine now, I promise. Thanks." She gives her mother an admittedly weak smile, but her mother doesn't seem to notice Sakura's lingering nervousness.

"Good, sweetheart, I'm glad," she says. "Now, get to bed. Don't you have a quiz tomorrow?"

Sakura nods, and heads for the stairs again. She pauses just before reaching them.

"Mom," she says, "I love you."

"Love you too, Sakura," her mother tells her fondly. "Sleep well, alright? If you have another dream you can always talk to me about it, or your father. Sound okay?"

"Okay," Sakura breathes slowly. Her small hand is still shaking ever-so-slightly as she returns to her room. She ignores it. She's never had nightmares before, this is probably a one-time thing. Perhaps she'd eaten something strange earlier in the day.

She climbs back into bed and slides beneath the sheets, curling up into a little ball and relaxing at the warmth that surrounds her.

Sleep is easy to obtain—she's tired, and her mother has successfully gotten rid of her worries. Her eyes close, and she's asleep before she can even think about dreams again.

* * *

 _She dreams anyway, the same as before. She stands in darkness, rooted in place. A low growl sounds from behind her._

" _Who's there?" she shouts into the dark, but no one answers her, and the growls suddenly stop._

 _The silence is almost more terrifying than the monster had been._

 _Before her panic can grow to unmanageable levels, light slowly begins to fill the area. Sakura squints against it, tries to turn her head, but she is still immobilized. This hadn't happened before, but she isn't waking up this time like she had previously._

 _A form eventually takes shape in front of her. She wants to turn around, to run, because who knows what kind of beast is responsible for those horrifying sounds_ — _but when it comes completely into view she is surprised to see another human instead of something otherworldly._

 _He is young, probably her age, with a mop of bright yellow hair and sitting cross-legged on the floor. He's wearing dark clothing, and it doesn't fit him right_ — _he's all but drowning in the shirt._

" _Oh," she says. She doesn't mean to speak at all, but he jerks as if stung and swings his head until he's looking directly at her._

" _Oh," he echoes back, and then there is a moment of silence where they stare at each other in shock._

" _You can see me?" Sakura blurts out, and at the same time he leaps to leaps to his feet with an explosive, "How did you get in here?"_

 _They blink at each other again, and the boy steps forwards._

" _I haven't seen another person in weeks!" he crows. "And you're a girl, too, not one of those stupid scientists!" He grins._

" _Um," Sakura says. The boy doesn't pause._

" _I don't suppose you brought me any ramen, did you? They never let me have any. Which should be illegal!" He takes another step, trying to shift closer to her, and something clinks down near his feet. For the first time since the dream began Sakura can move, and she tilts her head to look down for the source of the noise._

 _There is a shackle wrapped around the boy's right ankle. It's thicker than her forearm, and the surrounding skin is bright red, irritated from what must be years of rubbing against the metal. She doesn't want to imagine what the skin (if there is any remaining skin) underneath the chain looks like. It connects him to a link in the wall behind him, and he has some slack, but not much._

 _Sakura realizes that they're in a cell._

" _Where… where are we?" she asks faintly. The boy shrugs nonchalantly._

" _Beats me," he says. "I've been here for longer than I can remember. Don't have a clue. But now you're here, so unless you're with them, you can talk with me, right? They don't ever want to talk to me unless they're experimenting."_

 _As he speaks, he stretches, and Sakura gets a brief glance at his stomach and lower ribs. He's terribly skinny. Whoever these scientists are, they aren't feeding him._

" _I…" she begins slowly, because she honestly has no clue what to say_ — _but suddenly a click sounds from behind her, as if a lock has just been turned._

 _The boy's face pales instantly, and he shrinks back, smile slipping off of his face to be replaced by an expression of terror._

" _You need to go away," he whispers. It takes Sakura a moment to realize he's talking to her. "Go away now, and don't come back."_

 _She frowns at his sudden change in demeanor._

" _Are you going to be okay?" she asks nervously. He really doesn't look too good. There's another click from behind her, louder this time. The boy actually flinches._

" _Please," he says. "You don't look like you're with them. I dunno how you got here, but you can't let them catch you. They'll do bad things to you if they do."_

 _She shivers at his words. His eyes are haunted, dull in anticipation of pain. He looks like a puppet with cut strings, limp and lifeless. There's not a bone of hope in his whole body._

" _Wait_ — _" she tries to say, but the boy turns to her, eyes wide and horrified._

" _Run!" he hisses, and to Sakura's horror, the image begins to disintegrate around her. She cries out, but the boy doesn't hear it, and even as she watches the image gets darker and darker until all she can see is darkness once more. The growl returns, growing louder and louder and LOUDER_ —

* * *

Sakura wakes up with a gasp, sitting up and all but throwing the sheets off. She's panting hard, and her head pounds every time she even _twitches._

"Wha-" she croaks, mouth dry, and glances at her bedside clock.

It is 7:14. In one minute her alarm will go off, and it will be time to get ready for school.

She'd gone to bed nine hours ago, but it doesn't feel like she's gotten a wink of sleep.

The alarm goes off. Sakura groans and reaches for it, hitting the off button much harder than she'd intended to and wincing at the _thunk_ it makes.

That… had been strange.

But just a dream, like her mother had said. It was just a dream. Her is was starting to play tricks on her. It's probably just stress, that's all. Sakura gets out of bed slowly.

She gives herself a shake and firmly pushes the strange dream to the back of her mind. She has other things to worry about, after all: it's time to go to school.

* * *

Her mother greets her at the door when she returns, offering her a freshly baked roll. Sakura accepts it wearily as she lets her backpack drop to the floor and removes her shoes. The sounds of the schoolbus driving away fades as she closes the door behind her.

"Hi, sweetie," her mother says. "How was school today? Did you do well on your quiz?"

"Yeah, of course, Mom," Sakura says, deciding to leave out the tiny detail that she had nearly dozed off during said quiz and received several dirty looks from Iruka-sensei. "I'm pretty sure I did fine. There was only one question at the end that was a little troublesome, but I know I did well on all the rest."

"Excellent work!" her mother says. "I'm so proud of you, Sakura!"

"Is Sakura home from school?" her father booms from another room, and Sakura smiles.

"Yes, Dad, I'm home!" she calls out. Her dad lumbers into the room. He's a tall man, with broad shoulders, but his hug is gentle and warm. Sakura relaxes into his hold.

"I hear you're doing well in your classes, what a surprise!" he teases. She giggles when he ruffles her hair. "Keep doing your best, okay? You're doing so well! If you study hard, eat well, and get plenty of sleep, nothing can stop you!"

Sakura stiffens in his hold, because she'd been able to forget about her strange dream for the majority of the school day, but suddenly her father has reminded her. She sighs. Better to do this now than to wait until later. Sakura isn't a fan of procrastination.

"I've been having weird dreams, Dad," she tells him softly. Her mother hums in surprise.

"Another, dear? Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"Ah, it's no big deal," Sakura tells them. "I don't want to worry you. It's probably nothing."

Her father frowns.

"If they keep bothering you after tonight I want you to tell me," he says. "Are you alright for now?" The concern in his voice is comforting. Sakura smiles at him.

"Fine, Dad. I'm sure it won't happen again, there's no need to worry."

She is very, very wrong.

* * *

 _She dreams that night again, but there are no ferocious growls that echo through the dark. This time the inky blackness is filled with the sharp sounds of skin on skin, and a voice crying out, begging for forgiveness, for mercy, for anything but more pain._

 _The voice receives no answer, except for harder blows that echo through the empty space around her._

 _When the horrific sounds finally stop, light begins to filter in, just as before. Sakura keeps her eyes open, watching for the blond boy she had seen last time_ — _except instead of being in a cell, she is in a room not unlike her own, dimly lit by moonlight and very clean_ — _almost to the point that it seems military in decoration. There is a bed in the far corner across from her, and underneath the blankets a lump shivers and twitches silently._

 _Sakura hesitates, but she can't move, so she does the only thing she can._

" _Hello?"_

 _The lump jumps at her voice, and then doesn't move for a long moment._

" _Um," Sakura says again. The lump finally jerks, rustling the blankets, and eyes peer out from underneath the sheets. She squeaks in terror, because for a moment the eyes look red_ — _blood red. But then she blinks, and they are black. She isn't sure if she'd imagined it or not._

" _Who are you?" the lump says. It's a male voice, young as well. Sakura blinks_ — _she's never been asked that in a dream before._

" _I'm Sakura," she answers. The lump regards her cautiously before the blanket is thrown back, and Sakura finally gets a glimpse of the boy._

 _He is taller than her, with dark eyes and light skin. His hair is black, and it sticks out in the back. It reminds her of a duck, and she almost giggles, until she notices his other defining features._

 _He's covered in scars. Lots of them. Bruises, too_ — _they cover his arms, most of his bare chest. There is one taking up the majority of his left cheek._

 _She gasps in shock, and his stare suddenly turns sour._

" _What are you looking at?" he growls. "You annoying little_ — _" he breaks off, suddenly blinking and narrowing his eyes. "Wait… who are you? What are you doing here? How did you get up?" He sends a fearful glance towards the door on Sakura's right._

" _What do you mean?" Sakura says. "I don't even know how I got here. Do you?"_

" _Why would I ask you if I already knew?" he snarls, leaning forwards. A mistake, because he suddenly winces, hands straying towards a large bruise on his ribcage._

" _Are you alright?" Sakura asks, voice rising in momentary panic. She moves forwards, holds out a hand to help, and lets out a small shriek of surprise when her arm goes right through his chest._

 _His eyes widen, but he puts a finger to his lips as she reels back in shock._

" _Shut up, idiot," he whispers fiercely. "He'll hear you."_

" _Who?" Sakura asks, and then gasps again as he reaches out to touch her. His hand goes right through her forehead._

" _Are you a ghost?" he mutters. "Here to haunt me?"_

" _No," Sakura says hesitantly. "At least, I don't think so? I was alive last time I checked."_

 _He snorts._

" _You sure? This doesn't really seem like something that would happen if you were alive." He waves his hands through her again, and this time she does feel something_ — _a slight tingling where he passes through, but nothing more._

" _Weird," he murmurs. She lifts a hand and stares at it. There is some level of transparency to it, one she hadn't noticed last time she'd dreamed like this. When she had seen the blond boy._

" _Ah, I don't really know what's going on," she tells the new boy. "This has happened before, but I didn't realize I was…" She waves her hand vaguely, but he seems to understand._

" _A ghost?" he says dryly. "Right, right. Of course this would be something normal for you. Maybe he hit me in the head too hard again. I'm probably going crazy."_

" _If you're crazy, then I'm crazy too," Sakura tells him determinedly, but that doesn't seem to comfort him at all. He lowers himself gingerly back onto the bed, wincing, and throws a hand over his face. Sakura hovers nearby, unsure of how to proceed._

" _So…" she tries, and he sighs heavily._

" _What are the chances that you'll go away in a few minutes and leave me with my peace and quiet?" he says. "I don't want to deal with this right now."_

 _A door slams somewhere in the house, and footsteps stomp across hardwood floor. The boy bolts upright, eyes wide._

" _Crap," he spits out. The sudden fear in his tone reminds Sakura of the blond boy, for a moment, and it scares her._

" _Hide," the boy hisses, and she tries to obey, but she's frozen in place. Just like before the picture begins to fade, darkness overcoming her vision, and the last thing she sees before it goes completely black is the boy's door being flung open, and a towering figure standing in the doorway_ —

* * *

She is exhausted at school the next morning. Ino keeps shooting her worried glances, and even Iruka-sensei approaches her.

"Sakura-chan," he greets. "You've been very distracted in class for the past few days. Is everything alright?" His voice is warm and full of honest concern. Sakura offers him a smile.

"Everything is fine, sensei," she says. "I've been having a hard time sleeping lately, that's all. I'm sure it will pass soon, and I'll be back to normal."

Lies. All lies. She _has_ been getting sleep. But each time she dreams she wakes up and feels like she hasn't gotten any rest at all. And at this rate, it _doesn't_ seem like it will pass soon.

Iruka smiles at her.

"Get some rest, Sakura," he instructs her softly. "Feel better soon, alright?"

"Yes, sensei!" Sakura replies.

If only it were that easy.

* * *

 _She dreams again. It's been a couple days, and she had thought it was all over, but when she least expects it she finds herself standing in darkness for the third time. But in this dream, it is completely silent._

 _Dead silent._

 _When the light floods her vision she the first thing she sees is a lithe masculine figure, standing with his back to her. They are in a room lit by a single lamp, and there is a dark fireplace in the wall. She takes a deep breath and steels herself._

" _Hello," she says, voice full of feigned confidence, and then she yelps in shock as he turns faster than her eyes can follow and throws a long knife into the space between her eyes._

 _The weapon passes right through her. That doesn't mean Sakura is unaffected, and she's still shaking as the figure opposite her straightens and she finally gets a good look at his face._

 _He has extremely pale skin_ — _almost white, and inky black hair that's cropped shorter than both of her other dream subjects. His outfit is skintight, and his entire stomach is revealed by the crop-top he is wearing. A sword of all things is strapped to his back, and it looks like he knows how to use it, if the way it's suddenly positioned at Sakura's throat is of any indication._

 _She hadn't even seen him move._

" _How did you get in here?" he asks. His eyes, his face_ — _if he hadn't been moving, Sakura would have suspected him to be dead. There is no emotion whatsoever in his expression, and Sakura flinches, going completely still._

 _She isn't completely immobilized in this particular dream for some reason. She isn't sure why._

 _This new dream is dangerous, she knows. This boy could kill her_ — _definitely would, if she was really there. But she is not, and to prove it she narrows her eyes and walks right into his sword. The satisfaction she feels at the flicker of surprise on his face when her throat isn't slit is childish, but she doesn't care._

" _Are you a test?" the boy says evenly. "Did Danzo send you?"_

 _Sakura doesn't know who Danzo is, so she shakes her head._

" _I just appeared here," she says truthfully. "I don't know how, or why. You might not even be real."_

 _He tilts his head and sheaths his sword slowly._

" _Maybe you're the one who isn't real," he says. His metaphorical mask has returned, and his face is completely blank once again. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You are not welcome here."_

 _Sakura feels a surge of indignation. None of the others had treated her like that._

" _I would leave if I knew how," she informs him bluntly. "But I don't, so you're stuck with me until I disappear."_

 _He is unfazed by her words and nods once, turning again and striding to the table he had been at when she had first arrived. He turns his head as he walks, pointedly ignoring her._

 _Against every instinct she has, she follows him._

 _The table is stocked with knives and other assorted weaponry_ — _some Sakura can't even name. The boy runs his hands lightly over blades and handles, eyes narrowed in concentration._

 _She can't help herself._

" _What are you doing?" she asks. He opens his eyes and glances at her as if unsure if he should answer or not, and then blinks._

" _I am choosing the best weapons to take with me on my next mission," he informs her. "I do not know the mission parameters, and therefore I must be prepared for any sort of issue that could occur."_

" _What kind of mission?" Sakura blurts out, and then winces because she isn't sure she wants to know the answer. The boy gives her a long look._

" _I'm going to kill someone," he answers flatly. Her breath catches in her throat at the casual way he says it, like "I'm going to do my homework", or "I'm going to go to the park". She takes a step back, but the boy isn't even looking at her anymore, instead picking up a wicked looking dagger and weighing it in his hand._

" _What? Why would you_ — _?" she cries out, and he doesn't even move._

" _That is most likely what my orders will say," he says. She shakes her head in denial._

" _Why would you want to kill someone?" she whispers. "That's just…"_

 _He turns to look at her again, this time testing the edge of a tanto against a fingertip. A tiny bead of bright red blood drips to the floor._

" _I don't want anything," he says. "I will do what Lord Danzo orders."_

 _Sakura gapes at him, and suddenly the boy straightens, sheathing the tanto and hooking it to his belt._

" _It's time," he says. "Will you accompany me, I wonder?"_

 _He steps towards the door, and Sakura doesn't try to follow him. It's useless anyway, because she can feel the dream starting to dissolve, breaking down the scene and leaving her in darkness once more._

* * *

"Have you had any of those dreams recently, Sakura?" her mother asks. It is Saturday, and they are eating lunch at the table. Sakura's father peers at her curiously, and Sakura frowns—she'd just stuffed her mouth full of rice.

She thinks of the blond boy, trapped in a cell with a shackle keeping him chained to the wall. She thinks of the boy with the bruises, wincing with every movement and cowering from a dark and menacing figure. She pictures the pale assassin, with dead eyes and dead lips and a sword across his back _._

She remembers them, and she makes a decision.

"No, Mom, I haven't," she says, beaming cheerfully at her parents. "They've gone completely away!"

"Oh, how wonderful!" her mother says.

Sakura wonders why she had felt the impulse to lie, because it can't mean anything good.

* * *

 **A/N: Just a fun little idea I had. Naruto has been inspiring me lately, what can I say? I already have a few chapters of this written, but school starts back up soon, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to put them up because they still need to be edited.**

 **The title of this work comes from a beautiful song called "Only in Sleep", written by Eriks Esenvalds, and the lyrics of the song are from a poem written by Sara Teasdale. Both are beautiful works of art, please check them out if you're interested!**

 **If you enjoyed it, please leave a review or a favorite! Thank you for your continued support! Any requests or questions? Please feel free to contact me via PMs!**

 **-Meridianpony**


	2. Naruto

_The fourth time she dreams, something is different. She can feel it, and once she is able to see, she finds out why._

 _The blond boy, the one who had been chained to the wall, is in front of her. He isn't chained this time_ — _instead, he's tied down to what looks like a surgical table, all four limbs held down by strong leather restraints that are covered in strange runes. The room is unbelievably clean, and is completely empty except for the boy, the table, and a small cabinet. Sakura gasps in shock, and the sound echoes around the room._

" _Oh, hi," the boy says slowly. His voice is… different. And his eyes are unfocused_ — _like he's been drugged. "Wassup, pinky?"_

 _Pinky?_

 _Sakura tries to pull out the indignation she should feel at the nickname, but can't quite manage it._

" _What… what are they doing to you?" she asks, taking a few careful steps forwards. The boy lifts his head weakly, watching as she gets closer._

" _Dunno," he slurs. "Somethin' stupid, probably. Don' worry, this happens all'a time. It only hurts a little."_

" _Can you_ — _should I_ — _do you need help?" Sakura asks him, wringing her hands together anxiously. She grabs for the restraint on his left wrist, but her hand goes right through it. She can't do anything for him. He watches her slowly, and lets his head fall back onto the metal table with a clang._

" _Nah, s'no use. Can't 'scape. Wish I could."_

" _Have you ever tried?" she cries, and he giggles. It's a loopy sort of giggle, too careless and flippant for this sort of situation._

" _O'course I have! I try every day! Why d'ya think they tied me to the wall? Now there's too many guards to get out. There's no one to help, either, no one… unless you can do somethin', ya know?"_

" _I… I don't think so," Sakura stutters, and tries to grab a restraint again, concentrating hard because she needs to be SOLID. There's a sinking feeling in her gut, one of dread and fear, and she knows that if she doesn't get the boy out now then terrible things will happen._

" _I'm sorry," she tells him. Tears spring to her eyes uninvited, and Sakura hurriedly wipes his face before he can see. She's too late._

" _Aw, don't cry… um…" he pauses, and she realizes he doesn't even know her name yet._

" _It's Sakura," she sniffs. "Haruno Sakura."_

" _Sakura," he tries out. "Sakura, don't cry! It'll be okay. Don't worry about it!" He offers her a grin, and she returns it shakily._

 _Then a door behind her swings open, and she freezes in shock._

" _Good morning, Naruto," a pleasant voice says. "Are you ready for your tests today?" It's a man's voice, deceptively calm, but there is a sinister undertone in his words that makes Sakura shiver. She turns very, very slowly. Beside her the blond boy_ — _Naruto, that must be his name_ — _Naruto's teeth are bared in a defiant snarl, and his fists are balled._

" _Now, now, don't look at me like that," the man says. He has long hair. Sakura would think it pretty ordinarily, but on this man it only makes her skin crawl._

 _She's expecting him to say something to her, to grab her by the arm and slam her to the floor, but when his gaze sweeps across the empty room his eyes skip right over her to land on Naruto instead. Sakura tilts her head._

" _He can't… see me?" she whispers, and Naruto's eyes snap over to her as the man turns away from them momentarily to rummage in the cabinet. "Can he hear me?" They glance at the man, but he hasn't reacted to her words at all. Sakura's eyes widen._

" _He doesn't know I'm here at all," she gasps. "No one can see or hear me except you!"_

" _Now, this will probably hurt slightly more than usual," the man says. When he turns back towards them there is a syringe in his hand. Naruto's breath hitches, and his expression wavers between utter terror and furious hatred._

 _The man steps forwards and plunges the syringe towards Naruto's arm."_

" _Stop!" Sakura shrieks. Against every survival instinct she has she dives for the man's arm, hoping to stop him before the syringe can pierce Naruto's skin._

 _She goes right through him, as usual, and the needles sinks into Naruto's exposed vein. The blond yelps in surprise, and Sakura turns just in time to see the man push the plunger, sending all of the unknown liquid into Naruto's body._

" _No," she whispers. She doesn't know what's going on, but it can't be good._

" _Leave," Naruto breathes. The man chuckles._

" _I'm not going anywhere, child. I'd like to see the effect this new serum has first."_

 _Naruto turns his head, and his eyes are suddenly focused on Sakura._

" _Leave," he says again, more urgently this time. "Leave!"_

 _His eyes are blue. But as Sakura watches, they begin to change_ — _until they are no longer blue, but blood red._

" _Naruto…" she says, and reaches for him, but the picture starts to dissolve before she can do anything else._

" _No, no_ — _wait!" Sakura yelps, because she can't leave yet-what if something happens, what if Naruto_ — _!_

 _Naruto_ howls, _a broken and painful cry that makes the hair on the back of her neck stand up._

" _Naruto!" Sakura screams, stretching her hand out_ — _but she's too late, and then she is alone in the darkness again._

* * *

"Shikamaru?"

The Nara glances up at her, tilting his head. His eyes are droopy, as if he's about to fall asleep. He probably is—not that it would be unusual for him.

"Yo, Sakura," he says slowly. Chouji pauses next to him, delaying shoving another chip in his mouth in favor of giving Sakura a friendly nod. "What's up?"

It's lunch period. Sakura sometimes sleeps during this time, and she tends not to dream as much when she sleeps in a public place as much as she does when she's at home. However, Shikamaru is the smartest person she knows, and his father works for the government. He sometimes has access to important information—things that the media won't hear about until weeks afterwards. How that's allowed, she has no idea—it has something to do with Shikamaru's unbelievable IQ and the fact that he's most likely to take over his father's position when he's older, no doubt. She slides into the empty seat next to the Nara and meets his eyes carefully.

"I need your help," she tells him. There must be something in her tone that indicates the seriousness of her plea, because he narrows his eyes at her and straightens slightly.

"If this is about the math homework, I didn't do it, so I can't help you," he drawls, but his gaze is locked on to her-he already knows that's not what this is about.

"Your Dad… he tells you things sometimes, right?" she asks quietly, moving straight to the point. Shikamaru stiffens.

"What of it?" he says, and there's a little bit of hostility creeping into his voice that hadn't been there before. He's protective of his father, Sakura already knows this. She holds up her hands and tries to look as non-threateningly as possible.

"I just wanted to ask you if… if you've heard anything about people conducting illegal experiments recently. Experiments on _people,_ " she says quietly.

Shikamaru blinks. He hadn't been expecting that, she decides, and keeps her face carefully blank when he leans forwards to stare at her curiously.

"Why do you want to know?" he asks. "I haven't heard anything of that sort. Has something happened recently?"

"Ah, no, not really," Sakura says hurriedly. "Just curious, is all."

"Strange thing to be curious about out of the blue like this," Shikamaru states flatly. Sakura winces.

"It's not important, I promise," she lies. "Can you… would you mind letting me know if you hear anything, though?"

He looks at her suspiciously, and it's a good thing they're friends because she's certain he would press her harder if they weren't. Fortunately he nods slowly, and before either one of them can speak again the bell rings, signifying the end of lunch.

"Thanks, Shikamaru!" Sakura chirps, darting away, and biting her lip in worry once she's out of Shikamaru's sight.

She's worried about Naruto.

(Assuming he's real, that is—because despite her feelings there's a complete possibility that her dreams are just that—dreams.)

Even so, she can't get it out of her head, and when she finally returns home she heads straight up to her room.

"I don't feel so good, Mom," she announces as she tromps up the stairs. "I'm going to take a nap and see if I feel better, alright?"

"Don't sleep too long!" her mother tells her, and Sakura climbs onto her bed.

 _Naruto,_ she thinks, and closes her eyes.

* * *

 _It is dark, but Sakura already knows that she isn't in the right place. She is headed into a dream, yes, but not the one she wants to be in. She wants Naruto. She needs to make sure he's okay._

 _The dream tugs at her, pulling her in, but Sakura pulls back because she has a different idea in mind._

" _Naruto," she says firmly. "Take me to Naruto."_

 _The dreams hesitate, and she can feel the darkness around her vibrating, trembling as if it's barely holding together._

" _I want to see Naruto!" she declares, and then something shifts, changes in the air around her. Light appears, and this time Sakura can feel that she's in the right place._

 _She's back in the cell, and so is Naruto, but he's curled into a tiny ball in the corner, motionless. Asleep, maybe? She takes a step towards him._

" _Naruto_ — _"_

 _Faster than she can react he whips around and lunges for her, snarling like a wild beast. She yelps and trips backwards, and his hands slash through her throat. A killing blow, if she'd been tangible._

" _Naruto!" she shouts, staring at him in horror_ — _his eyes are red, and his fingernails have extended so they're more like claws than anything else._

 _He looks completely feral. Sakura shrinks away from him in horror._

" _Ah_ — _Naruto? Do you understand me?"_

 _He growls at her and she flinches, but as he stares at her some clarity returns to his eyes. He staggers, leaning against the wall, and the chain around his ankle clinks as he sinks to the floor._

" _Sa_ — _Sakura," he forces out. "Sakura. You. Ugh." He presses a hand to his forehead. She gets to his feet as he moans in pain._

" _I feel like I just got run over by a truck," he groans. She doesn't laugh. What had that man done to him?_

" _Are you okay?" she asks him. "Was it… was it that bad?"_

 _He lifts his head and smiles at her, and Sakura's breath catches at the pure joy that he seems to radiate, despite it all._

" _I told you, don't worry! I'm fine now, see? Not a scratch on me!" He's right_ — _there's not a single wound on him, and Sakura tilts her head as she inspects him carefully. She'd expected… some sort of injury. Not nothing. But then again, Naruto's momentary transformation didn't exactly qualify as nothing._

" _What was that before?" she asks him bravely. His smile slips for a half second before he's able to plaster it back on._

" _Ah, it happens sometimes, ya know," he says, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Don't_ — _"_

" _Naruto!" she snaps, suddenly angry. "Stop telling me to not worry about it! I'm going worry about you no matter what you say! Please, let me help! Tell me what's going on! Why are you locked up here?"_

 _He stares at her in shock, and she's petrified by the emotions that flash through his bright blue eyes in that moment. There is a long moment of silence._

" _You… you won't come back if I tell you," he whispers eventually. She shakes her head, but he closes his eyes. "I know you won't. And you haven't come very often anyway, but you're… you're the only thing here that isn't bad. I don't want you to leave."_

" _I promise I won't leave," she swears fiercely, and is surprised by the intensity in her own voice. "Naruto, I won't leave. I don't even know how I'm here, much less how to make it stop."_

 _He looks at her for a long moment suspiciously, and she realizes that trust must be a foreign concept to someone who's been locked in a cell and experimented on for such a long time. She smiles at him gently._

" _I promise," she says again. "I can't get here every day, but now that I've found you I won't leave you alone."_

" _You won't leave," Naruto says weakly. She nods._

" _I won't."_

 _He takes a deep breath and swallows._

" _I haven't told this to anyone," he says. "Not to the scientists, not to the inspector. No one, get it? You can't tell anyone."_

" _I won't tell," she swears. She doesn't know who the inspector is, but she won't tell a single soul, so the inspector's identity doesn't matter._

" _There's a monster inside me. The scientists do know that," Naruto starts, and Sakura nods_ — _she'd expected something like that. Naruto continues._

" _What they don't know is that the monster_ — _well, he's my friend. He can give me power, sometimes. His name is Kurama. He's a giant nine-tailed fox."_

 _That was… less expected._

" _You can talk to him?" Sakura says in surprise. Naruto nods._

" _Sometimes," he confirms. "But not all the time, because the scientists are mean, and they find ways to make sure Kurama stays asleep for a really long time. I try to wake him up, but the scientists will know if I do, and they hurt me so I can't help him anymore." Naruto shivers, and Sakura recoils in horror. "And they want to know everything about Kurama. They wanna control him, and take his power away so they can use it. But they don't know how. That's why I'm stuck here. They won't let me leave unless they get Kurama's power, and I won't let them have him. Kurama is my friend!"_

 _Sakura is still trying to wrap her head around the whole 'nine-tailed fox inside of him' concept, but she understands what Naruto is saying._

" _So… you're Kurama's protector," she says. "Can you keep the scientists out?"_

" _Of course!" Naruto says proudly. "But they don't know it's me. They just think it's Kurama being difficult. They forgot that I'm powerful, too." He beams at this, and Sakura stifles a giggle._

" _Okay, so Kurama is your friend. But then why were you going crazy earlier?" she asks. Naruto frowns._

" _While Kurama is asleep I get some of his powers. The scientists make it so I can't control them, and then…" he bites his lip. "Sorry. I didn't mean to attack you."_

" _It's fine," she says. "You wouldn't have hurt me anyway. I'm a ghost, remember?"_

 _He waves a hand through her head and nods._

" _Yeah, totally. Hey, think you could go through the walls and find a way out for me?"_

 _Sakura's mouth drops open. She hadn't even thought to try that yet!_

" _I don't know," she answers truthfully. "It's possible, I guess!" She turns towards the closest wall and stares at it for a moment, with Naruto hovering excitedly behind her. "It's worth a try though, right?" She sticks her arm out and is pleased when her arm goes right through the wall. Naruto lets out a shout of triumph._

" _Give me a minute," Sakura tells him, and then steps through the whole wall._

 _The other side is… not as exciting as she'd expected it to be. She's in a dimly lit hallway, completely deserted and with only a single door in sight, a few yards away._

 _She glances down the hall out of habit, because even if Naruto is the only one who can see her it's still a little terrifying to be alone in a place like this. Before she can lose her nerve she walks a few feet forwards, towards the door_ —

 _And then her feet stop moving._

 _Sakura's entire body freezes, and she can't move another inch forwards. She pushes against it for a moment, struggling to go farther, but her body refuses to obey. She takes a step back and puts a hand forwards_ — _i_ _t stops too, as if it's hit an invisible wall._

 _She can't go any farther._

 _When she returns to Naruto's cell he rushes to meet her, but when he gets a good look at her expression his face falls. Disappointment flashes through his eyes, followed quickly by resignation._

" _I'm sorry," Sakura says. "I didn't find a way out. I don't think I'm allowed to go too far away from you." Her heart clenches in sorrow at the hopelessness in the blond's eyes before Naruto shakes his head and makes a valiant effort to smile at her again._

" _It's okay, Sakura!" he says. "Thanks for trying!"_

" _I can try again later," she says. "There has to be something I can do. Maybe if I try a different wall_ — _"_

 _She stops talking. The picture in front of her_ — _Naruto, is starting to fade. He blinks at her in alarm._

" _Sakura!" he calls, but she hears it as if he's shouting from a long, long ways away._

 _She is swallowed by the dark, and shoved abruptly back into the land of the living._

* * *

"Feeling better, Sakura?" her mother asks the next morning when Sakura comes down for breakfast. Sakura smiles at her.

"Much better, Mom!" she says. "I was just a little sick, but I feel perfectly fine now!"

"Glad you're alright," her father says. He's just about to head off to work. "Lots of sleep is always the answer if you feel under the weather, understand? If you ever feel sick, don't hesitate to take a nap, alright?"

Sakura is going to take advantage of that.

"Of course, thank you Dad!" she says, and hides her tiny, secret grin in her bowl of cereal.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the wait, hope you all enjoyed! There's more to come! Leave a review or favorite if you liked it!**


	3. Sasuke and Nameless

"You've been acting strange for the past week, Sakura," Ino says on Monday when school starts up again. "Are you getting enough sleep?"

"Of course," Sakura says, which is technically true—it just doesn't _feel_ like she's sleeping. "Ino, I'm fine! I've just got a lot on my mind, that's all." Three people, to be exact. She's seen Naruto twice in a row now—she wonders if she'll still be able to see the other two after that, or if it will just be Naruto. She should probably find out. And she needs to test out her theory again, to find out if she can actually control who she sees, or if it had been pure luck that led her to Naruto the second time…

"...kura. Sakura!" Ino says, grabbing her shoulders. Sakura jerks in surprise, nearly falling over.

"Uh, yes? What's wrong?" she asks, and Ino huffs.

"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about!" the blond pouts. "You're never like this! Sakura doesn't zone out when someone's talking to her! Are you sure you're alright?"

Sakura wants to be annoyed, but Ino is all sincere concern, much like both her parents and Iruka had been. They're genuinely worried about her, and that is somewhat comforting despite not being necessary.

"Ino, I promise I'm fine!" she says lightly. "I'm a little tired today, but I'll be fine tomorrow. Just wait and see, I swear."

Ino eyes her for a moment, head tilted, before she nods and gives Sakura a brief hug.

"Make sure you get some sleep tonight, forehead," she mumbles, and Sakura gasps in mock-rage as her friend turns to head to class.

"What was that, Ino-pig? Why don't you come back here and say it to my face!"

* * *

" _Sakura?"_

 _She blinks, and is surprised to see the dark-haired boy standing in front of her. He looks equally caught off guard, and she squints as she glances around_ — _she's in his bedroom, but it's light outside. Last time she had been here it had been night._

" _Oh, no," she groans. "I must have fallen asleep during class!"_

" _Hn," he says, glaring at her. "And you had to come and bother me because…?"_

" _Hey, I didn't even notice I'd fallen asleep!" she tells him indignantly. "Sorry I can't control who I visit very well yet!"_

" _Visit?" he repeats, lifting an eyebrow. She blushes under his skeptical stare._

" _Yes, visit!" she says firmly. "Don't look at me like that!"_

" _Don't 'visit' my room while you're supposed to be at school!" he shoots back, and she scowls at him._

" _I already told you, I didn't mean to!" she snaps, and then she narrows her eyes in suspicion. "Wait, shouldn't you be at school, too? You're probably the same age as me!"_

 _He gives her a flat look._

" _Ever hear of homeschooling?" he drawls. She blushes again. For some reason, everything he says makes her feel stupid. It's frustrating, and she takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm down._

" _What's your name?" Sakura forces out. It's an attempt to turn him away from his hostile attitude, but he doesn't seem to want to drop his aggressive demeanor._

" _Who wants to know?" he asks. He sits back down on his bed and pulls a cell phone out of his pocket, setting it on his nightstand. Sakura frowns._

" _I'm Sakura," she says. "I've already told you that, haven't I?"_

 _He scoffs at her._

" _Yes, you told me your first name. If you're real, and I'm not too sure about that, I want a family name. Otherwise you aren't getting anything from me."_

 _Sakura wrinkles her nose._

" _Well, how am I supposed to know if you're real?" she asks. "For all I know you could just be a figment of my imagination."_

" _If I'm not real, then you have nothing to lose by revealing your family name," he says. "Technically I'd already know it, because I'd be part of your mind. But I'm real, and you're the one who's fake. You're just a figment of my imagination. Shouldn't you already know who I am?"_

" _I don't know your name," Sakura tells him, rolling her eyes. "I know I'm real, and you know you're real. We could both be real." He snorts._

" _I doubt it," he says. Then he sighs. "It's Sasuke."_

 _Sakura takes a moment to realize that he hasn't continued the argument, and then the name registers._

" _Er, nice to meet you, Sasuke," she fumbles, nearly tripping over her words. He glares at her again for no reason at all._

 _Now that he isn't attacking her she can take in her surroundings a bit better. His room is exactly the same as it had been before_ — _unbelievably clean, and startlingly bare. There are no posters, no signs of any personality at all except for the small picture that sits on his nightstand next to his phone. There are two people in it_ — _one of them is Sasuke, several years younger, and the other is a teenager who looks like he could be Sasuke's brother._

" _Oi, how long are you just going to hover around?" Sasuke barks. "It's annoying. I have things to do." He sits down on his bed._

" _Like what?" Sakura asks him, ignoring his irritated grunt as she turns her eyes back towards him._

 _Last time she'd seen him he'd been shirtless, scars and bruises bared for the world to see. Today he is wearing a dark shirt with a high collar and long sleeves. If she hadn't seen the wounds before she never would have even known they even existed_ —

 _Oh._

 _For the first time, it all connects._

 _Sbe had been so distracted by the dreams in general, and then by Naruto's horrible predicament, that the details of Sasuke's situation had escaped her until now. She stares at him in horror and remembers the fear on his face as a dark figure had flung his bedroom door open, how he'd flinched every time she'd spoken too loudly._

" _Sasuke," she says, and is amazed at how steady her voice is. "Sasuke, are you being abused?"_

 _She'd had some idea of what his reaction would be based on his earlier anger, but she's unprepared for the way his eyes widen, and then he lunges for her in a sick parody of how Naruto had charged at her before. Sakura can't help her flinch, but she closes her eyes and holds still as he dives through her. He whips around and snarls at her dangerously._

" _You_ — _" he growls, "You don't know anything. You don't know me, you're not even real. Just leave me alone!"_

 _Sakura clenches her teeth together._

" _I'm real," she grits out. "And you're being hurt by someone. You didn't deny it."_

 _If looks could kill._

" _Shut up!" he hisses. "No one asked you to come in here and analyze my life! Go away!" He's furious, but he still hasn't denied her accusation_ — _because he can't, Sakura realizes with a sinking feeling. He can't deny it, because it's true._

 _If this isn't real, her brain is really messed up. If it is real…_

" _Who hurts you?" she asks calmly, staring at him levelly because if she shows how terrified she is it will only make this ten times worse. She glances around and her gaze falls on the picture frame on his nightstand, the teenager young Sasuke is clinging to in the photo. "Is it him?"_

 _Sasuke freezes, turning until he follows her gaze to the picture. His eyes widen, and he makes a small, choked-off sound._

" _It_ — _no," he says, turning quickly and snatching the small picture off the nightstand. He holds it away from her so she can't see it. "Not_ — _not him. Never him." Sakura had caught him off balance with her question, and he takes a split second to regain the anger he had been showing before. "I told you, I don't need anyone's help! I can handle this myself!"_

" _But it looked painful," Sakura points out. "Don't you want to go see a doctor, or someone else who can_ — _"_

" _No," he snarls. "No way. Father would kill me if I did that, and then_ — _"_

 _He freezes, and Sakura sucks in a breath._

" _Your father," she says slowly, and watches the way he flinches in horror at the title. "He's the one doing this."_

" _If I couldn't handle it, I would have left a long time ago," Sasuke says stiffly, immediately on the defense. Sakura gapes at him wordlessly for a second._

" _Why?" she gasps incredulously. "Why would you stay if he's doing this? Don't you want it to stop?"_

" _I don't have to explain myself to someone who's not even real!" Sasuke spits. "I said to leave me alone!"_

 _Sakura glares at him, and puts her foot down._

" _No."_

 _Sasuke had been avoiding her gaze, but his head snaps back towards her at her denial. His eyes are wide, slightly startled, but he hides it with a scowl._

" _What do you mean, no? Go away!"_

" _I'm not leaving," Sakura says. She's stubborn when she wants to be, and this is one of those times. "Tell me what's going on, and then I'll go. Do we have a deal?"_

 _He stares at her as if she's gone completely insane. Then he tilts his head back and lets out a tiny chuckle, but it's bitter and unamused._

" _You know what, fine," he breathes. "Fine, I'll tell you. But I don't want your pity, or your help, understand?"_

 _She nods silently, and waits._

" _The man in the picture is my brother, Itachi," Sasuke says. "He's… amazing. He's good at everything, and Father and Mother worshipped him. He's away now. At college. He doesn't come home very often."_

" _Does he know about… this?"_

" _No," Sasuke says. "He doesn't. And this only started after he'd left, anyway."_

" _Why?" Sakura presses. Sasuke's whole body twitches._

" _I killed my mother," he says flatly. "I was born, and it killed her. Itachi says father was never the same after that. Father blames me for it, but he didn't do anything about that until Itachi was gone. He… didn't want Itachi to know."_

" _That's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard!" Sakura cries. Sasuke blinks at her._

" _Didn't you hear me?" he asks. "I killed my own_ — _"_

" _But that isn't your fault!" Sakura interrupts. "And why wasn't your father able to get over it? It's been years since then, right?"_

 _Sasuke falters, and avoids her fierce gaze._

" _He… it isn't… I don't know." He's struggling for words. Sakura shakes her head._

" _Did you ever consider the possibility that your father is not mentally stable?" Sakura asks him. He growls at her again._

" _My father is perfectly sane," he defends, and Sakura lets out a slightly hysterical laugh._

" _So you think he's right to hit you?" she says, voice rising a bit unintentionally. "You think it's okay that he punishes you for something you had no control over, that happened over a decade ago?"_

" _It's my fault she's dead!" Sasuke snarls stubbornly. Sakura looks at him hard_ — _at the set of his shoulders, the fierce light in his eyes, and feels something in her shrink in horror._

 _Sasuke has truly been convinced that he killed his mother._

" _Do you think you deserve it?" she whispers quietly, and Sasuke shrugs mutely._

" _You can't really think that!" she starts to say. "Sasuke, it doesn't make any sense! There's_ — _!"_

 _The world begins to fade._

" _Wait!" Sakura shouts. "Wait, hold on! I wasn't ready!"_

 _But it's too late, and she can't control when she leaves like she can control who she sees._

 _It is black a second later, and Sasuke is gone._

* * *

 _She doesn't go see Sasuke the next night she dreams. She remembers the contempt and anger that he had shown towards her, especially once she had gotten bolder with her accusations, and decides to wait before visiting him again. She'll try the third boy instead._

 _The dangerous one._

 _Sakura is nervous, yes, but he can't hurt her. Nothing can when she's dreaming, so she sets her jaw and forces herself to relax even as the light floods her vision. She's standing in large room_ — _when she glances around she is surprised to realize that it's some sort of cathedral. But the pews are empty, and no candles are lit. The stained-glass windows are dull._

" _Ah, you're back."_

 _She yelps at the voice, turning quickly to see the boy standing behind her. He's wearing the exact same outfit he had been last time, and his sword is still in place across his back. In the darkness of the cathedral his pale skin makes him look like a ghost._

" _I was wondering if you would show up again," he says, and then a strange expression appears on his face_ — _a horrific grimace. Sakura shudders, and he notices._

" _Sorry, was that too happy of an expression?" he asks. "I've been studying human emotions recently. I was told that 'smiling'," he says the word as if it is foreign, "induces comfort and a sense of safety to another. Was my information incorrect?"_

 _Sakura blinks at him, and then blinks again._

" _Do… Do you want me to tell you if that's true, or if your expression was correct?" she asks. "I'd say it's somewhat true, but your expression," she considers sugarcoating it, but he doesn't seem like the type to appreciate that, "was horrible."_

 _He tilts his head at her._

" _Your input is appreciated," he says. "However, I'm not so sure how seriously I can take it, considering how ugly you are."_

 _She freezes._

" _What."_

 _He smiles at her. This one is completely fake, obviously meant to be unnerving._

" _You're ugly. This will have an impact on how you interact with other human beings, so I am uncertain as to how your input should be considered."_

 _Sakura steps forwards and tries to punch him. He doesn't move, and her fist goes right through his nose._

" _Generally, I was under the impression that attacking strangers is not socially acceptable as well. Was that also incorrect?"_

" _Shut up!" Sakura shouts at him. "Stop being so rude! Who do you think you are? And don't you kill strangers anyway, you hypocrite?"_

 _He shrugs, and she only just manages to stop herself from trying to punch him again. Instead she sucks in a breath and glances around at the dark cathedral again._

" _Why are you here?" she asks him. "Planning to kill a pastor?" She's being sarcastic, but then she realizes that very well could be his reason for being here with a pang of horror. Fortunately he doesn't seem to understand, and shakes his head._

" _Many say that the pastor of this church is a very righteous man," he informs her. "Lord Danzo has no reason to order me to kill him."_

 _A chill runs down her spine at his words, and she's suddenly reminded again that whoever this boy is, he's a killer._

" _That's… good," she stutters out. "So why did you come here? Are you, um, religious?"_

 _He isn't looking at her anymore_ — _instead his gaze has been lifted to the stained-glass windows above them._

" _Not in the slightest," he answers her. "If I wanted to atone for sins I wouldn't come here."_

" _Then why_ — _?"_

" _The architecture here is amazing, is it not?" he interrupts. "And the windows are exquisite pieces of art. They are inspiring. That is why I come here."_

 _Sakura finds that a little hard to believe, especially when he turns_ — _with his back is to her she can see his sheathed sword, and what looks suspiciously like dried blood on the handle._

" _So you're an artist," she says skeptically, blinking hard to stop herself from focusing on the gory detail. "What kind of art do you like?"_

 _She is watching him carefully, half-terrified of his every movement, so she sees the way his shoulders stiffen and his hands clench when she speaks._

" _I… draw," he says slowly. Hesitantly, as if he himself is unsure of the answer. When he turns to look at her his eyes are slightly narrowed-it's the first real expression she's seen of him so far. "I'm not supposed to, but I do."_

 _Sakura gets the feeling that this is a sensitive subject, but she can't help herself._

" _Danzo doesn't want you drawing? Why not?"_

 _His whole body does a sort of twitch, but his expression doesn't change. Then his jaw clenches as if he's annoyed with himself._

" _Lord Danzo does not encourage my artistic tendencies," he informs her levelly. "My goal as his subordinate is to suppress my emotions in order to best follow his orders. Art is too expressive to be beneficial to my training."_

 _Well, that explains a lot. But he obviously has a ways to go before his training is complete_ — _and_ _isn't that a mortifying thought. He can't be any older than Sakura herself._

" _But you do it anyway," Sakura muses. "Does he know about it?"_

" _Lord Danzo knows everything," the boy says stiffly. "I am sure he does. But he has not reprimanded me yet."_

 _Sakura gets the impression that he's getting tired of being asked about his infractions. She lets the conversation drop, and for a long moment the grand cathedral is silent._

" _What's your name?" Sakura finally asks him. "I'm Sakura." She knows two now_ — _Naruto and Sasuke_ — _and she wants to know the third. She expects him to put up a fight about it like Sasuke had, but he glances at her and shrugs._

" _If I had one, I would tell you. But I do not."_

 _Sakura blinks._

" _You… don't have a name?"_

" _I don't."_

 _Sakura lifts an eyebrow._

" _What does this Danzo guy call you? You have to be identified somehow."_

" _My registration number is 012420," he tells her. "That is how I am identified. You may call me that if you wish."_

" _Um, no," Sakura says. "You need a name."_

 _He looks at her directly, and his expression is dimly intrigued. It's the second true expression she's seen from him._

" _Do I?" he asks. "How do I get one?"_

 _He really doesn't understand, Sakura realizes, and a wave of horror overtakes her. This is just… wrong. He doesn't have a name. He kills people because someone orders him to._

" _You could just… pick one," she suggests carefully. "But ask me first before you decide, because you don't want a stupid name."  
_ " _Like yours?" he says without missing a beat. His expression is innocent, and Sakura gapes wordlessly at him for a moment before she growls in frustration._

" _You_ — _!" she starts to snarl, but suddenly he tenses, and his hand shoots up to tap at his ear._

" _Ah, brother," he says. "I'm on my way back, I promise_ — _"_

 _He stops talking abruptly and winces. Sakura stares at him in confusion for a few seconds before she realizes that he's speaking into an earpiece._

" _Yes, of course," the boy says. "I understand. I'll be there soon."_

 _He lowers his hand and turns to leave, striding for the door purposefully._

" _Wait!" Sakura calls after him. "You still need a name!"_

 _He doesn't look back, but his voice echoes around the cathedral just as Sakura's vision starts to darken._

" _I suppose a name will have to wait until next time, Sakura."_

* * *

She wants to go to Shikamaru, to ask him for any known cases of child abuse or child assassins, but she decides that he'll ask too many questions if she does. And it's only after she emerges from the dreamworld, when she's sitting in the silence of her room while she's supposed to be doing homework, that she realizes how messed up her dreams truly are.

An experiment. An abuse victim. An assassin.

If it's real, then they need help. Desperately.

If they're just dreams, made up in Sakura's mind, then _she's_ the one who needs help.

Desperately.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the wait, peeps, I was on vacation! Hope you enjoyed it, there's more to come! If you find any mistakes, please don't hesitate to let me know!**

 **Also, I do take prompts, if anyone is interested. Hit me up!**

 **Favorites and comments fuel my nonexistant soul, friends~ thank you so much for your encouragements!**


	4. Time is Forgotten

**Warning: a bit of gore in this one. Nothing super bad but there's assassin stuff and some small children being abused :(**

* * *

The dreams don't stop. They show no sign of even slowing down, and as Sakura grows she learns more and more about the three boys who suddenly occupy her every resting moment.

Sometimes that is a good thing.

And sometimes, it is not.

* * *

 _On the night of her thirteenth birthday, almost a year after her very first dream, Sakura dreams of Naruto again._

 _He's crying. It's isn't an unfamiliar sight, unfortunately, and she rushes to his side. Naruto is huddled in the corner of his cell, and his eyes are squeezed shut. His hands clench and unclench, and every so often they reach down to tug futilely at the chain around his ankle. Blood trickles down his foot from underneath the shackle. There's a small puddle of it beneath him._

" _Naruto," she breathes, crouching next to him. He whimpers, and she wishes (not for the first time) that she could touch him, provide some sort of comfort._

 _She cannot. All she can do is talk._

" _Sa-Sakura," he stutters, and one eye opens slowly, searching to meet her own. It's glazed over in pain._

" _What did they do to you?" Sakura demands softly. He shudders and shakes his head._

" _Dunno," he grunts. "In… injection. It-hurts. Burns."_

" _I'm sorry," she whispers. "Naruto, I'm so sorry."_

 _He whines low and long, tilting his head back and knocking it on the wall. His body jumps and twitches involuntarily, and when he lifts his hands she can see that his fingers are shaking._

" _Please," he whispers, and Sakura's heart clenches. "Please, please."_

 _He could be pleading for anything. For the pain to stop, for the scientists to release him. For escape to be possible, for Sakura to help him._

 _But Sakura can't do anything at all. When he leans towards her, seeking the comfort of human contact, he still goes right through her just as he always has._

 _The chain around his ankle clinks when a particularly bad wave of pain makes him jolt in agony. He opens his mouth in a desperate gasp for air, trembling as poison courses through his veins._

" _Sakura?" he says after a moment, eyes shooting open in panic, and she realizes he thinks she'd left._

" _I'm still here," she reassures him. "Don't worry, Naruto. I'll stay as long as I can."_

" _Promise?" he breathes in a small voice_ — _s_ _o hopeless and vulnerable and not like Naruto at all. Sakura doesn't hate easily, but she_ hates _the scientists who keep the boy here-the monsters who make Naruto suffer just for the sake of power._

" _I promise," she agrees. "I can tell you a story if you want, does that sound okay?" He nods weakly, and Sakura smiles._

" _Yesterday at school was chaos," she tells him. "You'd think Kiba would learn to not bring his dog to school, because he's been suspended twice already because he does it so much_ — _but he brought Akamaru in his sweater. You should've seen how crazy that dog went the second Kiba walked into the cafeteria…"_

 _She can't touch him. But this, she can do. And if it eases Naruto's suffering, even just a tiny bit, then every moment spent by his side is worth it._

 _Sakura talks until her voice is hoarse, until Naruto has drifted into an uneasy sleep, and even then she doesn't stop. She speaks to him until her vision goes dark, and is still mumbling softly when she wakes up._

* * *

 _When Sakura is fourteen, she watches the nameless boy slit a man's throat._

 _His face is completely blank, and as blood spills from his victim's open wound Sakura is frozen in horror._

 _She knows the nameless boy. She knows his art, has watched him sketch in that grand cathedral she usually appears in when she dreams of him. She knows how strange he is, how his offensive personality can change from repulsive to begrudgingly hilarious given a little bit of time. She knows how loyal he can be, and how he struggles over finding the right name because it needs to be perfect, with just the right amount of artistic feel to it._

 _She_ knows _him._

 _But she's forgotten what he's being trained to become._

 _The expressionless puppet that stands before her, wiping the blood from his tanto blade and watching his target slowly choke on his own blood, isn't him._

 _When the nameless boy notices her, standing silently above his most recent kill, he doesn't react at all. His training doesn't allow it, and even though Sakura normally sees him when he is free of Danzo's influence she's noticed that his rare, unsuppressable bouts of emotion are less and less common every time._

" _Hello, Sakura," he says evenly. His voice is flat. It does not rise or fall. "You picked a bad day to visit."_

 _Sakura swallows and does not move. The boy does not speak again. It is then that she realizes that his tanto, sticky and crimson, is still unsheathed in his hand. When he turns away from her it is to stride out of her sight, down a long hallway, and his footsteps are silent in the dark._

 _Sakura's limbs are trembling._

 _A short cry of pain emanates from where the boy had disappeared, and a wet splattering sound fills the night. Sakura flinches._

" _Wait, who are you? What are you_ — _no, no please! I haven't done anything wrong_ — _ACK!"_

 _The voice is cut off._

 _Sakura wants to throw up._

" _Stop right there!"_

 _A wet thud, as if metal has been shoved through someone's chest._

 _A sound comes out of Sakura's mouth_ — _a weak, disbelieving squeak that catches in her throat. She can't move._

 _The nameless boy returns, walking back down the hallway just as silently as he'd left._

 _He is covered in blood._

 _Sakura wakes up screaming, and it takes a few minutes before she can stop._

* * *

 _When she is fifteen, she appears in Sasuke's room just in time to see him be slapped so hard that his entire body snaps to the side._

 _She can't help the startled squeak of horror she makes, and when Sasuke's eyes dart across the room to meet her own they go wide with surprise._

" _Say that again, boy. Repeat it to me one more time. Why weren't you at school today? Your teacher called and said you were ditching again."_

 _Sasuke's body is rigid. He tears his gaze away from Sakura and narrows his eyes defiantly._

" _I didn't want to go," he snarls. "And you can't make me."_

 _The man who can only be Sasuke's father raises a hand threateningly. Sakura gasps, but Sasuke doesn't even flinch. The scent of alcohol is heavy in the air. Sasuke's father is drunk._

" _You dare speak to me that way?" the man growls. Sasuke swallows, but he doesn't move, and his eyes spark with barely restrained anger._

 _Sakura remembers Sasuke telling her that he's homeschooled. So why is he being punished for not going to school? Has he been lying to her this entire time? And why is he purposefully antagonizing his father? His defiance is just making things worse!_

" _Your brother was never like this," Sasuke's father says gruffly, and Sakura winces, because if there's one thing she's learned during her visits to Sasuke's house it's to never compare Sasuke to his brother._

 _Sasuke's face contorts in rage._

" _Of course he wasn't!" Sasuke hisses. "Itachi was the perfect son! But I'm not him, father! I never will be! Stop trying to get me to be him!"_

" _Oho, is that what you think this is about?" Sasuke's father rumbles. He had gone very, very still at Sasuke's words, and now he leans forwards, getting right in Sasuke's face. "You think I want you to be Itachi, boy?"_

 _For the first time since Sakura has arrived she watches as Sasuke's expression flickers for a moment, and for a single heartbeat he looks lost and heartbroken and confused. But then he puts his defenses back up again and snarls._

 _Sasuke's father reaches out before Sasuke can react and grabs his son by the throat. Sasuke chokes as his head is jerked up, and his father's hold tightens. Sakura lets out a tiny cry of fear, but she knows she can't do anything to help._

" _You are a failure and a murderer!" the large man bellows. "You could never be Itachi, understand me? You are nothing!" He shakes Sasuke brutally, and Sasuke is nearly lifted from the floor. The younger lets out a strangled cry and claws suddenly at his father's hands._

" _Useless," Sasuke's father snarls. He lets Sasuke go. Sasuke doubles over, hands coming up to rub his throat, and with his head lowered he's unable to see the double-handed blow that comes rocketing towards him from the side._

" _Look out!" Sakura screams. Sasuke jerks, but he's not fast enough to avoid his father's attack. Two large fists hit him in the side of the head, and he grunts at the impact as he's knocked to the ground. When he tries to get up, Sasuke's father kicks him in the ribs._ Hard.

" _Try something like this again, talk back to me like that one more time, and I'll make you wish you'd never been born."_

" _Newsflash_ — _I already wish that, psycho!" Sasuke spits from the floor. His father kicks him again, and this time Sasuke can't hold back his cry of pain._

 _Luckily, the large man loses interest in Sasuke's suffering quickly. He turns, aiming one final kick at his son before he lumbers out of the room, leaving Sasuke motionless on the floor and Sakura silently sobbing in the corner._

 _Neither of them speak for a long time._

 _When Sasuke finally gets up, Sakura can see the finger-shaped bruises forming along his throat._

" _Are you_ — _" she pauses to sniffle weakly, and is ashamed at her own uselessness. "Are you alright, Sasuke?"_

 _He doesn't answer her at first, and when he does, it doesn't reassure her._

"' _M fine," he grunts out. A lie. She watches him in petrified silence while he opens a drawer in his nightstand and takes out a small first-aid kit. When he opens it she isn't surprised to see that it's been well used._

 _Sakura doesn't know what to do._

 _Sasuke has always been the hardest for her to talk to. Naruto is open and friendly, and as long as she catches the nameless boy when he's visiting the cathedral he is usually approachable as well. Sasuke, on the other hand, generally doesn't want her company, usually ordering her to leave within the first ten minutes of her arrival. When he's in a particularly good mood sometimes he talks to her, but those occurrences are rare._

" _Sakura."_

 _She jumps at her name._

" _Sasuke?" she says in response. He's taken off his shirt to reveal ugly purple bruises beginning to form on his ribs, joining the dull brown ones that had existed earlier._

" _Why did you come here today?" he asks. His voice is different. Lifeless. It reminds her of the nameless boy, and her stomach clenches._

" _Ah, it's just been a few days," she answers vaguely. He tilts his head at her._

" _Is it just me?"_

 _Sakura blinks._

" _Is what just you?" He sighs impatiently even as he carefully presses around his ribs with a practiced motion, checking for any major damage._

" _Am I the only one you visit?" he asks. The question surprises her, because none of the others have asked her that._

" _No," she tells him truthfully. He nods slowly._

" _Tell me about them," Sasuke tells her. She lifts an eyebrow but obliges him, and as he finishes tending to his wounds she begins to speak._

 _(It's just like how she talks to Naruto when he is half-delirious from pain.)_

" _There are two others that I can visit," she says. "The first doesn't have a name. He's… well…" Explaining the nameless boy's chosen career is a bit awkward, but she frowns and tells Sasuke anyway. "He's an assassin, of a sort. He's dangerous. I'm pretty sure he kills people on a daily basis."_

" _Sounds like a fun guy," Sasuke grunts. She rolls her eyes and continues._

" _The other's name is Naruto."_

" _Naruto?" For some reason Sasuke seems more alert once he hears the name. "Who is he?"_

 _Sakura smiles. Thinking of Naruto always makes her happy._

" _He's bright," she says for the lack of a better word. "Bright, and happy all the time even though he's been locked up for ages." She looks at Sasuke carefully. "I think you'd get along with him well. Either that or you'd tear each other to pieces."_

 _Sasuke seems curious, and for the first time in the three years Sakura has been visiting them he barely takes his eyes off of her as she tells him everything she can about the blond._

 _Her stories are just enough to distract him from his pain, but it is far from a permanent solution._

* * *

 _When she is sixteen, everything changes._

 _She dreams. She hadn't specified who she wanted to visit, so it could be any one of the boys, but when she opens her eyes she is standing in the middle of a well-lit kitchen._

 _Naruto wouldn't be in a kitchen. Neither would the nameless boy. Sasuke is the only option, but his chances of an unpleasant interaction with his father increases each time he spends more than five minutes out of the safety of his room_ — _it could be him, but that's a little strange. Sakura frowns._

" _Sasuke?" she says slowly, glancing around._

 _From behind her, someone replies. A male voice, but it isn't Sasuke._

" _Ah, not quite," he says. She spins around in panic, and gasps at what she finds._

 _There is a table behind her, with three adults seated comfortably in chairs around it. Each are holding cards. It seems Sakura has interrupted them mid-game._

" _Well, I didn't expect this," one of them says. It's the same one who'd spoken before. He has silver-grey hair that defies gravity, a mask covering his lower face, and an eyepatch over his left eye._

 _He's staring right at Sakura._

" _You… you can see me?" she asks in a very quiet voice. She doesn't know what's going on. This has never happened before. He chuckles at that, and both his companions_ — _a brown-haired girl and a dark-haired boy who reminds her dimly of Sasuke_ — _glance at him in confusion._

" _Kakashi, if you're cheating again, it's not funny_ — _!" the other boy begins, but Kakashi stops him, raising one hand into the air._

" _Yes," the man says. "I can see you. Are you dreaming, kid? Has this happened to you before?"_

 _He knows, Sakura realizes. He knows what she can do._

" _I dream all the time," she admits. "But normally I see others. Not…"_

" _Not me?" he says, and his visible eye crinkles in what Sakura assumes is amusement. His companiaons still look confused, but the girl suddenly blinks, and her mouth opens in surprise._

" _Is someone dreaming nearby?" she asks. "And you can see them, 'Kashi?"_

 _Kakashi nods._

" _She's got pink hair," he says. "That's pretty interesting. How old are you, girl?"_

" _My name is Sakura," she says. "And I'm sixteen." He hums, and glances at his friends._

" _She's sixteen, and her name is Sakura," he repeats. The brown-haired girl nudges the dark-haired boy._

" _Help me out, Obito," she says. "Do the thing."_

" _Sure thing, Rin," Obito tells her obediently. His grabs her shoulder, and narrows his eyes. Sakura gasps as his eyes suddenly change. Instead of black, they are red, and three dots swirl around the center. He had been focusing on a point just above Sakura's head, following Kakashi's gaze, but suddenly his red eyes snap to meet her own._

" _Oh, hello," he says. "You weren't kidding. She really does have pink hair."_

" _It's cute!" Rin chirps excitedly. Apparently she can see Sakura now too. "I like her already!"_

" _Of course you do," Obito says fondly._

" _Um," Sakura says hesitantly. She feels terribly out of the loop. "Not to be rude, but… how exactly can you see me? Can you hear me, too?"_

 _Obito grins, and motions toward his eyes. The dots spin lazily in circles, and for a moment Sakura is transfixed by the pattern._

" _Sharingan_ _," he says smugly, as if that should explain everything. Sakura's confusion must show on her face, because Rin elbows Obito quickly._

" _Hang on, she probably doesn't know what that means. Ah, basically… well, Kakashi could probably explain it better. He's going to be your Guardian, after all."_

" _You're not doing a very good job of explaining anything to her, you two. You're probably making it worse," Kakashi drawls lazily. Obito sticks his tongue out at him._

" _You do it then, jerk! You're the only one who can see her naturally, after all!"_

 _Kakashi sighs and stands, scooting his chair back. He sets his cards down._

" _How many other people do you see, and how long have your dreams been going on?" he asks her. She gives him a wary look, because she has no way to know if she can trust him. But then again, he's the only one who's ever been able to see her besides Naruto, Sasuke, and Nameless._

" _I see three others," she tells them. "And it's been going on since I was twelve. Four years."_

" _That's a long time," Obito says, glancing at Kakashi. Something like worry flashes across his face. "That can't be healthy." Kakashi ignores him. His attention is fully on Sakura._

" _Sakura, the three others you see in your dreams are connected to you. They're real. Together the four of you will form a team, and each of you will have a specific role to play to support each other. Do you understand so far?"_

 _She nods, but her head is spinning. The four of them are… connected? What, exactly, does that mean?_

 _And… they're_ real.

 _The force of that thought hits her like a train, and she has to concentrate to stop herself from staggering at the horrific implications of that knowledge. Naruto, imprisoned, is real. Sasuke, abused, is real. Nameless, a human weapon, is real._

" _We," Kakashi continues, gesturing to his two companions, "are another connected team, like yours. We have a fourth teammate, too, but he's running a few errands right now. Since you appeared to me first," here he pauses and sighs heavily. Rin laughs at him. "I have been assigned to be your Guardian. Which means I'm in charge of training your team."_

" _Ha!" Obito bursts out. "The one who least likes responsibility is the one stuck with another team! Karma is at work, here!" Rin frowns at him, but it's half-hearted._

" _Be nice," she scolds. Obito grins, entirely unrepentant, and Kakashi rolls his eye._

" _I'm trying to be responsible right now and teach my new student, but someone keeps interrupting me," he says dryly. Obito makes a face at him._

" _Anyway, Obito can see and hear you because he has his power activated," Kakashi explains. "And while he's touching Rin, some of his power will run through her as well, so she can see you too."_

" _Oh," Sakura says. She feels just a_ bit _overwhelmed. Rin tilts her head and offers Sakura a kind smile._

" _Don't worry, Sakura," she says. "It's a bit crazy at first, I know, and I'm sure you've seen a lot of crazy things. But I promise everything will be fine. You aren't alone anymore, and no matter what Obito says we'll help Kakashi train you, too."_

 _Her words are comforting. Sakura takes a deep breath._

" _Okay," she says slowly. It comes out too weak-sounding, so Sakura tries again. "Okay. So, what happens next?" she asks. "Do I get, uh, training now?"_

 _Kakashi steps closer to her. Behind him, Obito and Rin have abandoned their cards as well and are watching closely._

" _Do you remember what Minato did, when you first dreamed of him?" he says softly. Sakura blinks once in confusion before she realizes that he isn't talking to her._

" _I do," Rin says, rising from her seat. "We can help you if you'd like, too. Obito?"_

" _Yeah," Obito agrees. He lets go of Rin's shoulder, and suddenly her gaze slips from Sakura's face, hovering just a bit too far to the left. Rin can't see her anymore._

" _I would appreciate it, thanks," Kakashi murmurs. He looks at Sakura carefully._

" _I'm going to make your bond with your teammates stronger," he tells her. "You'll be able to… sense them, in a way, even when you aren't asleep. They only know you right now, and they'll be able to sense each other after this, too. Is that okay?"_

" _If this is too much, you don't have to accept it, Sakura," Obito chimes in grimly. "We could also get rid of the connection, if you don't think it's right."_

" _No!" Sakura blurts out before she can even think about it. Get rid of the dreams? Never see any of her boys again? Abandon them to their terrifying fates? Not a chance! "No, I know this is right. We're supposed to be connected." She sets her jaw and meets Kakashi's eyes firmly. "Do it," she tells him determinedly. He smiles._

" _Good choice. Hear that, Obito?" he asks. "Whenever you're ready."_

 _Obito nods silently, striding up to Sakura as well, and Rin slips in between them, placing one hand on each of their shoulders._

" _This would be easier if Yamato was here," Obito says mournfully. "But he won't be back for a few hours, and by that time you'll have woken up. Alright, here we go."_

 _He lifts his head. His eyes narrow in concentration, and the tomoe pattern of his eyes swirls faster and faster. A strange shiver runs down Sakura's spine._

" _Now, 'Kashi," Obito hisses, voice low. Kakashi's hand flashes out, and Sakura yelps in startled surprise as his hand taps her forehead and_ stays there.

 _He's touching her_ — _but it seems like it's only because of Obito's power that he is able to do so._

" _Now, Rin," Kakashi orders. Rin's eyes flutter shut._

 _Sakura gasps as something in her mind is shifted by an unknown force, sending a wave of awareness through her that she hadn't been aware of beforehand. Her senses sharpen, and Kakashi's hand on her forehead is a grounding sensation._

" _Again!" Rin cries. Sakura feels something shift again, things at the back of her mind being pulled up into the front. She closes her eyes._

" _One more!"_

 _For the last time, the unknown force_ — _Rin and Kakashi's combined powers, she realizes_ — _grabs at her mind. Sakura winces at the intrusion, clenching her hands, and then_ —

 _Oh._

 _Suddenly, she can feel them._

 _Naruto. Sasuke. The unnamed._

 _She… senses them. She can feel Sasuke's self-loathing, his sadness, his fear. She can feel a bright optimism from Naruto, one that masks a sea of hopelessness and depression beneath. And there is a vague, almost blank space where the nameless boy is_ — _and it makes Sakura's heart throb in sympathy._

 _And they… they can feel her, too. They can feel each other. All three of their minds flicker, wavering in surprise and almost fear as the connection settles, solidifies. Sasuke's mind recoils, but Naruto's is already curious, scooting forwards and reaching out to poke at his new companions. The nameless boy can't stop the brief flash of surprise that darts through his mind, that is followed quickly by horror. Sakura chases the emotion as he struggles to suppress it and gets a quick burst of feedback for her efforts: Whatisthistoomanypeople emotionsnotallowed stopstopSTOP_ —

 _Kakashi makes a startled noise, and Sakura realizes that she can sense him, too. It must be because of his status as their Guardian. It's much dimmer than the others, but his mind is there as well-carefully shielded. He obviously knows what he's doing._

 _She opens her eyes._

 _Rin, Obito, and Kakashi are all staring at her, and Kakashi's face is grim._

" _You okay, Sakura?" Obito asks. She nods in response._

" _Those three boys," Kakashi says. His eye is narrowed. "Something is wrong. Why are they like that?"_

" _Like what?" Rin asks nervously, but Sakura knows what he means._

 _Naruto, imprisoned and experimented on._

 _Sasuke, abused and hated._

 _Nameless, suppressed and objectified._

" _Why didn't you go to someone sooner?" Kakashi asks incredulously. "They're suffering. You didn't think to ask anyone for help?"_

 _Sakura stares at him and shakes her head, ignoring the brief flash of anger that shoots through her at his accusing tone._

" _Who would have believed me?" she points out. "I didn't know if it was real myself. And on the off chance that someone did end up believing me, what could we have done? This is too much for any normal person to fix, and they need help."_

 _Kakashi still looks furious, but his anger isn't directed at her. It rattles in her mind and makes their connection shudder for a brief moment. Obito and Rin both wince, fully connected to Kakashi as his teammates and much closer to his emotions than Sakura is._

" _They need help," Sakura repeats. "Please, can you do anything?" For a moment Kakashi's anger continues to lash out, but then Obito puts a hand on his shoulder, and Kakashi deflates._

" _That's an understatement, they need more than just help. They need to be rescued," he huffs. "All three of them. Obito, Rin. Call Yamato. Tell him his errands can be put on hold. We're leaving."_

" _Leaving? To go where?" Obito asks, and Kakashi spins around to face his team._

" _We're going to get the rest of Sakura's teammates," he answers, and Sakura feels a sudden burst of hope, as if the sun has come out from behind the clouds._

 _In the back of her mind Naruto sends an answering pulse of happiness through their link. Sakura giggles as Sasuke's annoyance follows, and Nameless ignores them both, but already she can sense that his mind isn't as dull as it had been before._

 _This is going to work. They're going to save her team._

" _So, Sakura. Do you know where any of your teammates are?" Kakashi asks. Sakura opens her mouth to reply, but before she can say anything, a foreign force jolts through her entire being. The world trembles unsteadily around her. She blinks, and Kakashi's eye narrows._

" _What_ — _?"_

 _Sakura cries out as the thing tugs at her again, tightening its grip on both her mind and body. It feels as if a giant claw has wrapped around her, and is pulling her out of the dream._

" _Sakura_ — _!"_

" _What's happening?" Sakura shouts in panic. The world flickers and flashes. Obito's eyes begin to spin, and Kakashi and Rin both reach for her_ — _but they're too late, and Sakura screams as she is forcefully pulled out of the dream, and shoved back into the darkness of sleep._

* * *

She wakes up with a cry of alarm, bolting into a sitting position. It takes her a moment to remember where she is—at home, in her own room, in bed. But she knows that it was all real, because the boys still there in the back of her mind, as is Kakashi. All four of them are reacting to her sudden surge of panic, sending her incessant impressions of worry and terror and _Sakuraareyouokay?_

Someone sighs. Sakura turns, and frowns when she sees her mother standing in the doorway of her room, lowering her arms as if she'd had them outstretched.

"Mom?" Sakura says in a small voice, and Sakura's mother sighs again.

"Sakura, dear, I thought you said you stopped having those strange dreams _years_ ago." Her mother's voice is not accusing, or angry—instead it is weary, and accepting. Sakura shakes her head, because she has no idea what's going on.

"Mom, what—?"

"I had suspected, of course, but when you stopped talking about it I assumed they had been just regular nightmares," Sakura's mother continues. "It was too much to hope for that you would be normal. Are you fully connected with your team now, or is it still just the dreams? If you tell me, it'll be easier for me to break the connection."

And then Sakura's whole world shatters.

* * *

 **A/N: Shout out to the amazing Rose Rain 7 for being an awesome person in general and leaving really nice reviews! You're fabulous my friend, thank you so much! Your comments always make me laugh!**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed it, and I'm not apologizing for the cliffhanger. Find any mistakes, please don't hesitate to point them out! Also, if you enjoy my writing I have tons of other Naruto stuff planned as soon as this fic is finished (which should happen soon, I'm in the process of editing 4 more chapters for this story, and it should have eleven in total assuming everything goes as planned).**

 **I really don't hate Sasuke's dad, but I needed bad guys. I don't hate Orochimaru either, but he's still pretty evil.**

 **Until next time, guys! Leave a review if you liked it!**

- **meridianpony**


	5. Connection

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Sakura gasps. "What… what did you just say?"

Her mother takes a step forwards, and Sakura flinches back.

"Oh, no, sweetie, it's alright, I promise," her mother says. "I can get rid of the connection, and then it will be just like it was before. You won't have to worry about it anymore."

Sakura is frozen. She can't move at all, and can only stare in horror as her mother watches her carefully.

"I… I don't understand," she manages to force out, and her mother's smile starts to fade. "How do you know about this? How did you find out?"

Her mother sighs.

"I did warn your father about this," she mutters. "I thought we had done enough to protect you, but we were both wrong."

Sakura rises from her bed and faces her mother head-on, allowing just a little of her frustration to find its way into her tone.

"Mom," she says. "Tell me what's going on."

Her mother gives her a sharp look.

"You haven't figured it out already, Sakura?" she asks. "Your father and I are just like you. We were young, and connected, just like you are. It's how we met."

Sakura frowns.

"You told me you met at work."

Her mother chuckles.

"Yes, work," she confirms. "But not the kind of work we do now. We were in training, working with our Guardian, and we had two other teammates."

Sakura can't believe her ears. What her mother is suggesting is… unbelievable. Her parents, for all their kindness and the happiness they bring Sakura, are nothing special—perfectly ordinary.

Or… at least Sakura had thought they were ordinary.

"Why aren't you still with your team?" she asks suspiciously, because she loves her connection and the three—now four—people it reaches out too. She'd hate for anything to prevent it. Her mother's face darkens, and immediately Sakura knows she's treading on dangerous ground.

"My team… doesn't exist anymore, Sakura," her mother tells her, and tries to pull out another smile. It falls horribly flat, and Sakura narrows her eyes. Her mother continues.

"It was our first mission outside the home base. We were younger than you are now—fourteen, maybe. It wasn't supposed to be anything dangerous, just a routine patrol—the instructors had already declared it safe and alerted our Guardian that it was clear for our mission." Suddenly she laughs, high and bitter. Sakura has never heard her mother make such a sound before, and it scares her.

"If I had known what was going to happen, I would have destroyed our connection then and there," her mother hisses. Sakura shudders.

"Mom—"

"We were attacked, and before any of us could do anything two of our teammates were already _dead_ ," her mother spits. She likes to move her hands when she speaks, and now her movements are sharp and wild. "We were fully connected, and your father and I _felt them die._ Half a second later our Guardian was killed, too, and then it was just us. We ran, of course, because what else could we do? We were weak, and young. It was too late to save anyone else."

Sakura can't move again. She wonders what it would feel like if Naruto was suddenly killed—if Sasuke's father goes a bit too far, if Nameless goes on a mission and doesn't come back. She tries to imagine feeling them die, and not being able to do anything about it.

She can't.

(In the back of her mind all four of her team are listening, and waiting. She can feel them hovering at the edge of her thoughts, but none of them are bold enough to come closer right now.)

"We left the organization after that," her mom tells her. "And they didn't even come after us. They had no use for a broken team. We meant nothing to them in the long run—cannon fodder, all of us. And even if they had asked, we wouldn't have gone back."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Sakura demands. "Why did you keep it a secret? If you were connected it means you have some sort of ability, right?"

"Are you asking me why we kept it from you?" her mother asks. "Why we decided to keep you away from a world of death and pain? We're your _parents_ , Sakura! We weren't about to let you anywhere near that type of environment! But it wasn't enough. With both of our blood in you, it was bound to happen. Your connection must go, Sakura. It's too dangerous. I won't allow it, and neither will your father!"

"Mom, you can't—" Sakura starts, feeling the beginnings of panic start to set in, but her mother lashes out a hand.

"Do _not_ fight me on this, Sakura! This is for your greater good, do you understand? You could _die!_ Or worse, your teammates could die, and leave you _broken_ and _alone!_ I'm saving you from that fate! Don't you understand?"

Sakura… _does_ understand. It makes sense, after all, even though she doesn't want it to. She understands full well why her mother has hidden this.

But that doesn't mean she's going to let anything hurt her connection. The risks are high, but Sakura had realized that the very first time she saw Naruto. She's willing to take those chances. It's worth it, for them.

Something of her decision must show on her face, and her mother doesn't like it. She growls. Sakura's eyes widen as something begins to stir in the air around them. The room suddenly hums with power, and as Sakura's mother outstretches her hands a blue glow wraps around them.

"I haven't used these powers in over thirty years," Sakura's mother says quietly. "And I never was that strong in the first place, but I'm more than willing to blow what energy I have left to keep you out of harm's way."

 _Danger,_ something in Sakura's mind shrieks. _Danger, danger, DANGER_ —

"It will only take an instant," her mother says, and steps forwards.

Sakura is moving before she even registers it, diving past her mother's outstretched hands and squeaking in fear at the glow of blue energy that _just barely_ misses her. She darts out of her room, skidding around a corner, and flinches at the enraged cry her mother lets out from behind her.

The boys are _roaring._

Naruto rages in her head, emotions flaring bright crimson with anger, and Sasuke is right behind him, emotions coiling in a very dangerous shade of purple. Past their clamour she can just make out a flash of worry from Nameless, and a hint of panic from Kakashi that is quickly replaced by determination.

 _Run_ , they scream, and all of Sakura's instincts agree. _Run, now, while you still can_ — _!_

She bolts for the staircase. Her mother is coming after her-Sakura can feel the hum of her magic, setting her teeth on edge and making the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"Sakura, this is for your own good!" her mother shrieks. Sakura leaps down the stairs and almost falls, just barely managing to keep her balance and stumbling when she reaches the end. She careens around a corner, hurtling into the living room—

And then she stops.

She had been headed for the front door, but now that she's almost there… where will she go?

On that note, is her connection worth leaving her home, her parents? Is it worth abandoning her entire life? Her friends, her school?

 _Sakura._

She tilts her head as the combined proddings of all four of her connections shift into the front of her mind.

 _It's alright,_ they say, and all of them are resigned, but understanding. _We know how you feel. You don't have to sacrifice all of this._ Naruto's mind squeezes at her own in a strange mental parody of a hug before backing away, and she frowns at the sudden shields he throws up—clumsily and with much less grace than Kakashi's, but effective all the same. Sasuke hides a flash of disappointment behind apathy, and the nameless boy's mind goes completely blank.

She remembers them all, the terrible situations they're stuck in. Remembers the hope she had felt, that they had echoed as Kakashi's team had prepared to rush to their aid.

She _can't_ do that to them. She can't take away the only hope they've had for rescue just because she's too afraid to leave the nest.

 _No,_ she sends them, emotions flaring up. _No._ She reaches out invisible fingers and grasps at their minds, tugging them closer. _I'm not giving you up._ A fierce sense of loyalty rebounds off of her and is echoed back by her teammates. _It's worth it. I'm coming._

" _Sakura."_

She flinches, startled at Kakashi's voice, and glances around in confusion. It takes her a moment to realize that he's momentarily strengthened her connection with him, and she's getting full words now instead of just emotions.

" _You have a place with us, Sakura,"_ he says quickly _. "We can take you in as long as you need, if that's what you choose. Just tell me your address, and my team will get to you as soon as we can."_

She takes a deep breath, and makes a decision.

"I'll come with you," she says out loud—a mistake, because a moment later her mother grabs her by the arm, and Sakura cries out in alarm.

"You're not going anywhere, Sakura," her mother snarls, and Sakura twists, barely managing to extract herself from her mother's grip but putting her back against the wall in the process.

Naruto is screaming in her mind, and Sasuke's emotions flare in alarm. Nameless has retreated until she can barely feel him emitting hostility and fear, and somehow through the cacophony of blinding senses and sound Kakashi's voice is loudest, urgent and with a hint of desperation.

" _Your address, Sakura!"_ he shouts. " _Tell me, quickly!"_

But Sakura can't move, she's completely frozen as her mother reaches towards her with glowing blue fingers, stretching towards her forehead, and she knows if she gets caught it's all over.

" _SAKURA!"_

In a half-panic she pictures the numbers on her front door, and grabs at random memories of her street and address. She shoves them at Kakashi's mind without even thinking as her mother's hand comes closer and closer and _closernononoplease_ —

A surge of energy suddenly blasts through the room, and Sakura's eyes close involuntarily at the force of the power that washes over her. In the split second it takes her to reopen her eyes, her mother screams in fury—a high-pitched and terrifying sound that shakes Sakura to the core.

She looks up, and gawks openly at the sight that greets her.

Her mother had been mere inches from her, but now she's all the way across the room. _Obito_ of all people is facing her mother head on, and Sakura has to pinch herself, because there's no way he could be here.

"Who are you?" Sakura's mother growls, wild and dangerous and the _complete opposite_ of the woman Sakura has loved for her entire life. "How did you get in my house?"

"A better question might be: What are you doing to your daughter?" Obito counters hoarsely. "Stand down. You're more likely to injure yourself than you are to do us any harm at this point."

"I was a trained member of—!"

" _Was_ , being the key word. I won't ask again. _Stand down."_

Her mother's face contorts in anger.

"You can't just—"

"Hello," Kakashi interrupts casually, waving his hand in a lazy two-fingered salute. Sakura jumps at his sudden entrance, gasping at him soundlessly as he saunters into her living room like he owns the place. Fortunately her mother is just as caught off guard as she is, and the moment the blue glow around her flickers unsteadily Obito's eyes shift and begin to spin.

"Ah, I was hoping that would work," Kakashi hums. Sakura's mother sways, eyes drooping, and Obito reaches out to catch her as she crumples.

"You—what? Kakashi—how did you—?" Sakura starts. Kakashi eye-smiles at her.

"Thank you for giving me your address, Sakura," he says. "It was just in time. I'm glad you're safe."

Naruto, Sasuke, and even Nameless are tapping at her mind hesitantly as if to make sure she's alright. She sends a quick pulse of _calmdowncalmdown_ and _everything'sfineI'malright_ before returning a bewildered gaze to her Guardian.

"But how did you…?"

There's a muffled thump from the other side of the room, and Sakura turns just in time to watch Obito stagger, nearly dropping her mother's limp form.

"Obito?" Kakashi asks, head snapping to the side to watch his teammate in concern. Obito sways lightly, and the tomoe pattern of his eyes fades back to black. He closes them halfway with a wince of pain. "You alright?"

"Fine, fine," Obito says, but his voice slurs slightly. "That… might have been too much."

Kakashi swears softly.

"Give her here," he orders. Obito shuffles towards him gingerly, and Kakashi takes Sakura's mother, laying her gently on the ground.

"M'kay," Obito mumbles. He doesn't look too good—his face is pale. "I'm just gonna… take a short break. Hope you don't mind." He stumbles forwards, flops face-first onto Sakura's couch, and stops moving.

"Well, this isn't good," Kakashi muses, stepping carefully around Sakura's mother to prod at Obito's limp form with one hand. "I knew it would drain him, but I forgot how bad it actually was."

Sakura resists the urge to stomp her foot in frustration. She marches over to Kakashi and glares at him. (He doesn't seem fazed, on the contrary, he _smiles_ at her again, but she pretends not to care.)

"Explain," she demands. "How did you get here? What's wrong with Obito?"

"Ahh," Kakashi rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "One of Obito's abilities is a teleportation… of a sort. He calls it Kamui. But it's a new technique, and Obito can't use it very many times before it tires him out. Having to transport both of us so quickly without warning to build up his power levels, and then countering your mother's abilities, will keep him knocked out for a few hours."

So that's why he'd needed her address so desperately. From the couch, Obito mumbles something unintelligible into the cushions, probably in protest, but he still hasn't moved from his initial crash spot. He's down for the count.

"Speaking of your mother…" Kakashi continues, glancing down at her still form. Sakura stiffens, terrified and apprehensive of her Guardian's next words, but Kakashi only sighs. "Did you know about her past? Her powers weren't strong, necessarily, and they'd obviously not been used for a long time—it was just the massive buildup that made her a little hard to stop, but Obito was able to put her to sleep, so no harm done."

Sakura breaths out a sigh of relief, and feels a stab of sorrow as she stares down at her mother.

"I didn't know," she answers softly. "She never told me, I—" her voice catches in her throat, and she just barely manages to swallow a sob that she hadn't even realized was threatening to emerge.

Everything is just happening _so fast,_ and her own _mother_ had just tried to use strange powers on her to make her forget her suffering friends.

When she looks down, her hands are shaking. Her breath is coming out way too quickly, and her heart is beating painfully fast. Something is wrong. She can't bring herself to calm down.

Kakashi gives her a long look, one that is full of pity.

"You're going into shock," he tells her slowly. "Sakura. Do you feel alright?"

She's tempted to lie, to nod and push through the pain and fear that press in at her from all sides—she gets the feeling Kakashi wouldn't protest if she did. The very fact that he'd asked her about her status means he's giving her a choice. She's a mere heartbeat away from nodding when a mind brushes against her own.

Nameless.

His mind flickers with hesitancy and uncertainty, but it curls closer to her, and he presses a jumble of thoughts forwards. _Unhealthytocontinue, emotionallycompromised, restadvised. Alright?_

The final thought is accompanied by a flash of concern—small, but still there. Sakura takes a deep breath.

"No," she says out loud. Her voice wavers, and she can't help the tears that well up in her eyes and spill across her cheeks. "No, I'm not alright."

Kakashi's single eye softens as Sakura's shoulders shake with the force of her silent sobs, and her knees tremble, threatening to give out. He takes a step forwards.

"Rest, Sakura," he instructs, reaching out and tapping her forehead softly. "You've done more than enough. Let us handle the rest." She feels the lick of his power that settles into her body, but she doesn't fight it. Her eyelids droop.

Nameless' dull approval echoes through her mind as the world spins and goes dark.

* * *

When she wakes, her father is standing over her.

"Hi, Sakura," he says softly, and smiles. "How are you feeling?"

For a few blissful moments she doesn't remember. But then her vision focuses, and she realizes that she's back in her room. Her room, where her mother had…

A surge of adrenaline shoots through her veins and she bolts upright, arms automatically rising in a futile attempt to protect herself because she _remembers._ She knows that her father was once like her mother, linked with a team long gone, and she's terrified that he'll try to do the same thing her mother did.

But her father raises his hands and backs up, just a little, and Sakura winces at the flicker of hurt that crosses her father's face.

"It's okay, I promise," her father says. "I won't… I'm not going to do anything. My abilities aren't like that, anyway."

Sakura tries to relax, but her muscles are wound and tense, and she can't get them to loosen. Behind her father, someone else steps into the room.

"Welcome back, Sakura," Kakashi says. "Good to see you awake, finally. You didn't dream at all, did you?"

She shakes her head mechanically in answer and tries to wrap her head around the fact that Kakashi, her Guardian, is standing in the same room as her, next to her _father._

"Good," Kakashi hums. "You needed the rest, and as nice as it would have been to see your teammates they would have drained the rest of your energy away. I need you at full strength if we're going to get anything done."

He meanders out of her room just as quickly as he had entered, burying his nose into an orange book. Sakura watches his retreating back before looking back at her father, and her eyes are wide.

"Dad?" It comes out small and nervous, but Sakura can't help it. Her father smiles at her, but there is a deep sorrow in his eyes.

"I don't feel the same way as your mother does," he tells her. "I was never as close to our other teammates as I was your mother, but one of them was your mom's childhood friend. Losing her hurt more than anything else that could have happened. She didn't love me then—it was after, once we had abandoned the organization, that we came here and eventually got married. However, she never fully recovered. I was able to move on, though it took me a long while, but she couldn't pull herself out of the past."

"You… don't think my connection is a bad thing?" Sakura asks him hesitantly. He shakes his head.

"It's dangerous, yes," he says. "But you're sixteen—that's about the age where connections will either implode or expand, and yours has expanded beyond what I could have imagined. It's stronger than our team's ever was. And your Guardian… he's a bit terrifying, as far as power levels go, and his other teammate that I've met is just as incredible. He warped them here from a country away, after all."

Sakura had known they were strong, but to hear her father put it like that is eye-opening. And knowing that Kakashi and Obito are nearby (she hopes Obito has woken up) is a relief.

"Anyway," her father continues, "My point is that I'm… okay with this. A connection is an incredible thing, Sakura. It didn't work out for your mother and I, but I think that you'll be able to get much more out of it than we ever did."

Sakura sits up straighter and feels a wave of appreciation and love for her father. She lifts her head, and meets his gaze seriously.

"Mom said it's dangerous. You said the same thing. And my teammates… they're not in good places right now. I could… die."

It's the first time she's said it out loud, but it doesn't change her determination. She's never been particularly strong, but she's not going to let that stop her. Kakashi had promised to teach her, and she'd be insane to not take him up on that offer.

She'll _become_ strong, for the sake of her team.

Her father swallows, but he looks resigned.

"I'm not going to stop you from leaving if you feel it is right," he says. "Kakashi told me they're going to rescue your teammates. You're the only one who can make the decision to go." He glances at her expression, and sighs. "You've already chosen to go, haven't you? I didn't expect anything else from you, Sakura."

It takes a moment for it all to sink in. Her father isn't going to stop her from going. He _understands_ her. He's supporting her. He knows full well that she could be hurt, but he trusts her abilities, and Kakashi's.

The lump in her throat makes her breath hitch, and she dives forwards and grabs her father in a hug, burying her face into his shoulder. He doesn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her, and for a long moment Sakura wishes that she could stay there forever.

But she knows she can't do that, because her connection suddenly throbs—a flash of sharp pain from Sasuke, and a wave of aching loneliness and sorrow from Naruto. Nameless is unmoving and dull, and Sakura _can't leave them like that._ She _knows_ she can help them.

"I love you, dad," she says firmly, steadying herself and pulling away from the embrace. "And mom, too. She… she didn't want to hurt me. She was trying to protect me, but she doesn't need to. I have a team for that."

Her father chuckles, and Sakura can hear some of his usual personality creeping back into his voice.

"My little flower blossom, all grown up," he says. "I'm proud of you, Sakura."

Sakura lifts her head, and smiles brightly.

"Thanks, dad," she chokes out, and the tears that almost manage to escape her are of relief and joy.

* * *

"So basically," Sakura says, looking from Kakashi, sitting in an armchair with a smug look on his face, to Obito, flopped on the couch and glaring at his teammate, "You pushed Obito off of the couch and put my mother there instead so my father wouldn't assume you'd killed her when he got home."

"Yes," Obito snarls. "Which is fine, really, we didn't want him to attack us, but why couldn't you have just set me down _gently_ like a normal person? There's a lump on my head the size of a golf ball! You could have given me a concussion! You probably did—that explains why I was unconscious for so long!" He points a accusatory finger at the Guardian weakly.

"Hm? I have no idea what you're talking about," Kakashi says, but his only visible eye is narrowed too far for that to be true. "Obito rolled off the couch on his own, and I simply took advantage of that. You didn't get a concussion, anyway. I would've felt it if you did, remember?" He taps his head. Obito scowls at him.

"That's not the point, moron! It _hurts!"_

"Don't be a crybaby, Obito," Kakashi teases, and Obito stiffens, raising his head from the pillow. He'd slept a few hours longer than Sakura, and had only recently woken up—he still couldn't move too much.

"I'm _not_ a cry—!"

"Ah, children, be nice," Sakura says dryly. Obito and Kakashi glare at her simultaneously, but Sakura only laughs.

A knock comes from their front door. Obito and Kakashi freeze, muscles tensing as if preparing for a fight. Kakashi's hand slips into a pocket, and Obito raises himself as far as he is able. Fascinated, Sakura watches as the two of them wait for a split second before they relax, and Obito lets out a groan.

"Oh, no," he sighs. "She's not going to be happy with us."

"I'll get it," Sakura's father calls, coming down the stairs and heading to the front door. Kakashi twitches, and Obito's head snaps over to look at him.

"Oh no you don't, Kakashi," he hisses. "I'm _literally_ connected to your mind, and so is Rin, don't even think about it—"

Kakashi bolts, almost faster than Sakura's eyes can track, but before he can even make it out of the room the front door opens, and an enraged shout echoes through the house. A blur of brown and purple flies past Sakura, intercepting Kakashi before he can escape and slamming into him. Kakashi is sent sprawling, and the girl suddenly standing above him huffs.

"Serves you right," Rin says fiercely, raising another fist threateningly, but Kakashi wisely remains where he'd been thrown. "Serves you _right_ for _leaving me!"_

"Hi, Rin," Kakashi mumbles, and has the decency to look ashamed.

"I was standing _right next to you!_ I know you were trying to hurry to come help Sakura but _honestly!_ You couldn't have reached out and grabbed my arm as you and Obito teleported away?"

Obito lifts a hand, and Rin's eyes snap towards him. Sakura is impressed that he doesn't flinch.

"To be fair, I don't think I can transport three people yet," he offers meekly. Rin's glare intensifies, and Obito swallows nervously. "Ah, that is, I wasn't sure if I could-no wait, Rin, don't hit me I'm injured wAIT—!"

Rin, Sakura decides, watching the scene unfold from the safety of her seat, is _awesome._

* * *

"So!" Rin chirps brightly, ignoring the stifled groans of her teammates behind her. She, apparently, does not appreciate being left out, and has no problem with beating her (sometimes) idiotic teammates into shape. Sakura's ears are still ringing, and Rin's shrill, enraged shouts hadn't even been directed at her. "Sakura, right? I'm Rin! It's nice to finally meet you in person!"

"Likewise!" Sakura says cheerfully, shaking the other girl's hand. "I'm glad there's another girl on board, to be honest with you. Not that Kakashi and Obito wouldn't be good teammates, I'm sure they are, but…" She trails off, and Rin laughs.

"I know what you mean!" she giggles. "Me too! I think you and I are going to get along perfectly, Sakura!" Sakura stifles a giggle at the horrified groan that emanates from the general direction of Kakashi and Obito, and Rin's eyes gleam with a hint of mischievous glee.

"You know, back when we were little you were sweet and pure," Obito moans. "None of us suspected that you would grow up to be so _evil."_

"What was that, Obito?" Rin calls back sweetly, and the blood drains from Obito's face.

"Er, nothing, nothing," he backtracks quickly. "You're wonderful and we'd be completely lost without you, right?" He elbows Kakashi, who's slumped lifelessly on top of him, and the silver—haired man lets out an agreeable grunt.

"Oh, good," Rin says pleasantly. "I'm glad you think so, because it's completely true."

Sakura doesn't doubt that at all.

Rin claps her hands.

"Okay," she says. "Get up, you two. I didn't drive our trailer across a whole country in less than two days so that we could relax. Do we have a plan yet?"

Kakashi sits up, moving off of Obito and getting to his feet. Suddenly the team is focused, and through her dull link with Kakashi she can feel his mind analyzing and strategizing, planning out their next move.

"Step one is to find out where, exactly, they are," he says, and then they all look at Sakura. She frowns.

"Naruto doesn't know where he is," she tells them. "I can probably find out where Sasuke is, though, if he's willing to tell me." She brushes at the edges of Sasuke's mind quizzically but she's too tired to focus on getting her meaning across correctly. He pokes her back, slightly harder, and she catches his annoyance and curiosity but can't comprehend anything else. She winces, and wonders if Kakashi plans to teach them how to speak to each other through the link instead of relying on the vague emotions that filter through. "I'll have to dream to get to him, though. The other… I'm not sure if he'd tell me. He isn't… that big of a fan of the whole 'connection' thing in the first place."

Kakashi nods at the information. His mind slows, settles, and pieces of his plan click into place.

"Dream tonight," he orders her. "Get to Sasuke first. If you can, get to the nameless as well. No matter the outcome we'll leave tomorrow morning, and if Sakura is unsuccessful we'll start researching everything about Naruto and Sasuke as we can. Sasuke will be easiest—he'll be in some database _somewhere,_ we just have to find it. Naruto will be harder, but there's a few people we can contact to try and get some information on that. Until then, everyone, get rest, make sure your power levels are restored to normal. Obito, you gonna recover in time?"

"Probably," Obito replies. "I'm not worried."

"He'll be fine," Rin says. "I'll lend him any strength he still needs, too." She turns, and looks at Sakura.

"Are you ready to go get your team?" she asks, and Sakura nods.

It's up to her to gather her teammates, and she's not planning on resting until all three of them are safe at her side.

* * *

 **A/N: Headcanon: Rin would have been an AWESOME jounin if she'd lived-on par with both Obito and Kakashi. I just really like the mental image of her punting Kakashi through a wall.**

 **Thank you for the reviews and favorites, I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. Stay tuned, there's more to come!**


	6. Sai

_Sasuke is waiting for her when she arrives, perched on the edge of his bed and fiddling with the edge of a fuzzy blanket. He doesn't look up, even when she clears her throat. He's wearing long sleeves again, but one is riding up and Sakura can see the hint of a dark bruise encircling his wrist._

 _"I know why you're here," he says immediately. She tilts her head as he lifts his gaze towards the ceiling._

 _"Do you really?" Sakura asks him. In the dream world her mental connection is no less prominent than it is when she's awake. She lets her mind stretch out towards his curiously, because she doesn't know why he won't look at her. She's expecting a slightly hostile response_ — _perfectly normal for Sasuke_ — _but the complete resistance that she runs into is startlingly unexpected. It's like her mind has slammed into a brick wall._

 _"Sasuke," she says, "We can come to you. Just tell me your address, and we'll get here as soon as we can. Or your phone number, if that's better. You don't have to stay here for very much longer."_

 _Sasuke's mind shivers, and his body trembles for a moment. Sakura is tempted to press forward, but she respects his self-imposed boundaries and hovers on the edge of his senses._

 _"What if I don't want to come?" he mumbles. Sakura knows that's a lie, because she's felt it_ — _knows how miserable he is, how desperately he wants to be free. But she doesn't call him out, just waits for him to continue._

 _"Do I deserve to run from this, anyway?" Sasuke says flatly, and the crushing pressure of his depression and self-loathing slams into Sakura like a speeding train. She gasps, nearly stumbling from the force of it, and raises a hand to her head. "Everything my father says is true, after all."_

 _Naruto's anger rises up in their minds like a wave faster than her own does, and Sakura winces_ — _she hadn't realized he'd been paying attention._

 _NOTTRUE NOTTRUE NOTTRUE, the blond's mind screams. Sasuke hisses at the sensation, but his mind doesn't fight back, and lets Naruto rage against him._

 _"Do you even hear yourself, Sasuke?" Sakura asks incredulously. "You can't truly think that. Your father has convinced you that you're guilty, but you aren't. We know you aren't. Your father has no right to take out his anger at the natural course of life on you."_

 _Sasuke's mind wavers and tries to pull away from them both, but Naruto and Sakura grab him tightly and don't let him. Nameless's mind sparks with curiosity, tentatively moving closer as well._

 _"Come with us," Sakura whispers, and steps closer to Sasuke's physical body. "Please, Sasuke. You belong with us, and your father should be sent to jail for everything he's done."_

 _She waits with baited breath for Sasuke's answer, and finally he looks towards her. His eyes are dull._

 _"Do you promise to come for me?" he asks in a flat tone. "I've heard promises like that before, and they're always broken."_

 _"Not this one," Sakura promises forcefully. "Nothing could make me stay away. All of us think that way. You know that."_

 _He lifts his head, and Sakura sees something spark in his eyes that hadn't been there before._

 _Hope._

* * *

"Well?" Rin asks the next morning when Sakura comes careening down the stairs. Sakura's father has already set out breakfast, and Obito and Rin are sitting at the table. Sakura grins, and leans down to kiss her father's cheek.

"Morning Dad," she says, and then announces proudly, "I got an address! He wouldn't give me a phone number, but I know where Sasuke is."

"Great!" Obito says, and then turns to Rin, giving her an uncertain look. "Uh… he's not responding. Do you want to… or should I…?"

"Honestly, you big baby," Rin huffs, and suddenly stands, stalking towards the living room where her team had crashed for the night. Obito winces in sympathy. Sakura shoots him a curious look.

"Kakashi… isn't a morning person, to put it lightly," he says in answer. "Normally we wake him through our link, but he's being particularly stubborn today. Rin isn't going to go easy on him."

True to his words, a shout comes from the living room a moment later, and then there are several suspiciously loud thuds. Rin snarls something inaudible.

"How's mom doing?" Sakura asks her father, shaking her head to try and ignore the sounds. Her father sighs.

"Still unconscious," he says. "But she'll wake up soon, I know." He pauses and looks at her for a long moment. "I'll explain to her what's happening, Sakura, and if I can, I'll do my best to convince her that she was wrong. She had no right to do what she did. I'm sorry, honey."

Sakura bites her lip and nods silently.

Rin returns to the table a moment later, with a small smirk on her face. Obito shudders, but when Rin sits next to him he smiles at her and scoots a little closer.

Sakura wonders if that's because of their link, or something… more. She's curious, but she doesn't ask.

Someone groans behind her, and she turns to watch as Kakashi wanders into the room, rubbing sleep from his eye. He makes a beeline for the kitchen table and slumps into the last open seat, reaching mindlessly for the cup of coffee Sakura's father places in front of him. Obito snorts.

"Remember when you were obsessed with the rules, Kakashi? You used to get up at four o'clock regardless of when our mission was and then work out for three hours."

Kakashi glares at him and takes a long sip from his mug. When he sets it down, he seems only a tad more alert than he had before.

"Minato taught me the error of my ways," he says slowly. He still sounds half asleep. "The old me was an idiot who didn't appreciate the joys of being late and sleeping in."

"You were the one who used to be late all the time, Obito," Rin offers, rolling her eyes. Obito chuckles sheepishly.

Suddenly, there is a knock at the door. All three of their visitors suddenly freeze, and Kakashi is suddenly fully awake.

"Sakura, dear, can you go get that?" Sakura's father asks. She nods and watches in fascination as the team relaxes.

"It's Yamato," Obito says, and Sakura heads out to get the door. When she opens it, she blinks at the man standing in front of her—brown hair, broad shoulders. He's standing a bit awkwardly on her front porch.

"Hello," he says. "I believe my teammates are in here, correct?"

"Yep," Sakura confirms, glancing over him once. "Come in."

"Thank you very much," he says politely. He follows her inside.

"Oi, Tenzou!" Kakashi calls once they reach the kitchen. "Glad you could finally make it!"

Yamato sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"My name is Yamato," he replies in annoyance. Sakura gets the feeling he says that a lot. As Yamato shakes her father's hand in greeting she tilts her head.

"Tenzou…?"

Yamato actually twitches.

"Don't ask," he says, glancing at her. "He only calls me that because… well, maybe you're too young for that."

Sakura wrinkles her nose.

"I'm sixteen!" she protests, but he waves his hand, sitting next to Kakashi at the table.

"Fine, not too young," he says. "But another time, because it looks like we need to get down to business."

Sakura glances at Kakashi and takes a deep breath at his serious expression. He's finally sitting up straight, exhaustion cast aside.

"Sakura," he says. "You have the address?"

She nods and tells him. He nods at the information, eye narrowing.

"That sounds like a three day drive, maybe a little more," he says. "We're lucky it's not farther. He could have been all the way across the globe."

"Did you pack your things?" Rin asks Sakura. Sakura nods. Kakashi sighs, and stands.

"We should probably leave as soon as possible," he tells Sakura. "The sooner we go the sooner we'll get there, after all. Is that okay with you?" They all turn to look at her. She glances at her father. When he smiles at her softly, and she steels herself and nods once.

"Yes," she confirms. "I'm ready. Let's go."

* * *

It doesn't take them long to leave. She's been worried that she'll start to have second thoughts about leaving, or that her father will suddenly oppose the idea, but he only smiles and pulls her in for one of his bear hugs when they're moments away from walking out the door. Obito has promised the both of them that if Sakura gets homesick he can teleport them back to Sakura's house with Kamui, and Sakura has her phone with her—she can text her father anytime.

"Be safe, Sakura," her father whispers, and then waves them out the door with a proud look on his face.

Sakura has never loved her father more than she does in that moment.

Kakashi's trailer is large, and obviously fairly expensive. When she mentions it, Kakashi shrugs.

"My father wasn't a nobody," is his only answer, and he leaves it at that. Sakura doesn't press him for more information. It seems like a slightly sensitive subject.

There is a bunk bed connected to one wall, and a couch on the other. A tiny kitchenette and a bathroom makes up the rest of the trailer, but there is still a surprising amount of space. The table can be folded up into the wall. Sakura makes herself at home on the couch and turns towards the flat screen TV above her.

"Are you ready?" Rin asks, sitting beside her. Sakura smiles.

"More than ready," she replies. Rin chuckles. Yamato takes up residence in the lower bunk bed, resting the back of his head down on the pillow with a weary sigh. Rin smiles at him.

"Sorry, Yamato," she apologizes. "You had to come a long way all by yourself. You're probably exhausted."

"I took a plane once I'd found out where you guys had gone," he answers. "It's more jetlag than it is real exhaustion. It was for the better, anyway. I was able to finish my mission, so I don't mind being late."

"Mm, how did it go?" Rin asks nonchalantly, but Sakura can sense an underlying tone of tension in her voice. Yamato stretches and yawns.

"It was fine," he says. "A little trouble near the end, but nothing I couldn't handle." Rin nods.

"I'm still annoyed they didn't let us come with you," she complains, but Yamato shakes his head.

"It was better that you weren't there. Some Kiri agents showed up."

Rin blanches, growling, and slams her fist into the couch cushion. Sakura jumps at her sudden mood swing, but then Rin settles.

"In that case, you're right," she admits slowly. "I wouldn't have reacted well to their presence."

"I thought Kakashi said you were on an errand," Sakura says to Yamato, and Rin grins.

"Yes, an errand. An errand of pain and death, but an errand all the same. We're a team, but sometimes individuals get called in on solo missions. We do work for an organization, you know. The same one your parents did. Konoha."

"Konoha," Sakura says. "And… that's who we'll be working for, too?"

"Only if you want to," Rin reassures lightly. "If your team decides to go solo, that's fine. That'll be something you'll all have to decide together."

The trailer begins to move, and Rin reaches for a book, nestling into a comfortable position.

"Kakashi and Obito will handle navigation for the first few hours," she announces. "Get comfortable, alright? In awhile we'll switch out."

Sakura nods and leans her head back.

We're coming, Sasuke, she thinks, and feels him tap at her mind in acknowledgement.

* * *

They're five hours in when Yamato and Rin switch Kakashi and Obito out. Obito immediately takes Rin's spot next to Sakura on the couch, and Kakashi goes for the upper bunk bed. Sakura gives them a moment to get settled before going straight for her Guardian, and he glances down at her, pausing in his movements to bring out his orange book.

"Yes?" he says slowly. Sakura meets his gaze determinedly.

"You're my Guardian," she says. He nods, raising an eyebrow.

"Correct," he confirms, even though it had been a rhetorical statement. She takes a deep breath.

"Teach me," Sakura orders, and then winces, because that had come out much less polite than she'd intended. "Ah, I mean, will you please teach me? I want to learn everything I can about my connection before I meet my teammates."

He stares at her for a moment and casts a mournful look at his book before he tucks it away.

"You're more motivated about your team than I was at your age," he mumbles. From the couch, Obito lets out a snort.

"Ha, that's for sure," he chuckles. Kakashi shoots him a dirty look as he drops soundlessly from the top bunk, landing besides Sakura. He motions for her to sit on the lower bed, and sits next to Obito.

"Okay," he says. "What do you want to know?" Sakura tilts her head.

"Tell me about your powers, to start," she says. "I've seen some of yours. I know Obito's Kamui, and the… eye thingy. I can go into dreams. What else is there?"

"It's called Sharingan," Obito grunts indignantly. Both Kakashi and Sakura ignore him.

"Mm… to understand powers, first you need to have an understanding of the roles each team member plays," Kakashi begins. "Every team has a basic setup, that can be expanded on as the team grows. There are four categories, one for each person—a Connector, a Pathfinder, a Protector, and a Sealer. On every team, powers are slightly different, but are still specialized enough to fulfill their proper role."

Sakura can assume what most of those generally mean, and she nods. "That means… I'm a Connector, I'm assuming."

Kakashi nods.

"You're correct. The first person to feel the connection is naturally the Connector. On our team, Rin is our Connector. Her powers… well, she can do a lot of things. Energy transfers, body enhancement, healing… the dreams. Yours will most likely be similar. Rin can teach you how to use your powers, so don't worry about that."

Sakura swallows and looks at her hands. They don't seem like anything special, but now that she knows there's more to her than dreaming she feels like there's untapped potential inside of her.

"What about the rest of your team? she asks curiously. Kakashi tilts his head.

"Obito's our Pathfinder," he says. "They're almost always equipped with a power that can tell truth from lies—that's a bit hard to understand why it's necessary until you're on a team with one. The Sharingan is a common manifestation of that power, but not the only version you'll encounter. Obito's in particular is special because he can use Kamui. That's not something you see too often."

"Shut up, 'Kashi, you're making me blush," Obito mumbles, glancing away. Kakashi rolls his eye.

"Yamato is our Sealer. It took us a long time to find him—we were a three-man team for a while until we could rescue him. That's… too long of a story to explain right now. Later, perhaps. Anyway, his power is based off of restraining other powers, making sure they don't go out of control. In battle with another team, generally the team with the stronger Sealer is the team that wins. Yamato is our foundation. And his wood-manipulation powers are quite amazing to see, ask him to show you next time we aren't on the road."

"What about you?" Sakura asks. Kakashi smiles beneath the mask.

"I'm our Protector," he says. "It's my job to make sure that the rest of our team is safe. I have the most attacking strength out of all of us, and for most missions I'm assigned to be the captain. As for my powers… lightning manipulation, mainly, but I can sneak other elements in there when they're needed. Since I'm also a Guardian, I have a small connection with your team as well."

Sakura is impressed. She wonders which of her teammates will be in each category—Naruto is almost definitely a Protector, if his raw power is anything to go by-courtesy of the fox. She's not sure which of the other two will be the Pathfinder or Sealer—she hasn't seen the Sharingan from either, yet, so she'll just have to wait to get more information.

"Anything else you want to know for now?" Kakashi asks. She shakes her head.

"There probably will be later, but for right now, I'm okay. Thank you."

He nods and returns to the top bunk, burying his head in his book. Next to her, Obito inhales slowly.

"I'm going to meditate for a few hours, try to gather as much energy as I can hold," Obito tells them both. "Would you mind being quiet for a little bit?"

Sakura nods, and pulls out her phone. She's perfectly capable of killing a little time.

"Thanks," Obito hums. He crosses his legs, puts his palms together, and closes his eyes.

* * *

They're in the middle of the second day of travelling when things, naturally, start to go wrong.

Sakura is in the front of the trailer, sitting next to Kakashi, who is driving. Her main task is to make sure he doesn't fall asleep (unlikely, but it's better to be safe than sorry), and to navigate when he needs her to.

Sakura is making small talk, just to kill the time. They're talking about clouds of all things when the sense of unease hits, and Sakura's words die in her throat. Kakashi stiffens as well, hands tightening over the steering wheel. It takes them both a second to realize that the unease isn't coming from either of them—it's coming from their link.

From Nameless.

"That's not normal," Kakashi grunts. Sakura nods, and closes her eyes.

The assassin's mind, usually blank and flat, is sparking with tiny orange flares of agitation. Every so often they start to die down, as if he's trying to squash them, but then they return with even more force than before. Sakura taps at him curiously, and feels him flinch back at her touch—but other than that, his mind doesn't move.

Naruto and Sasuke scoot closer hesitantly.

 _What's wrong?_ Sakura sends. He doesn't respond, but the agitation spikes for a moment.

Naruto's impatience, in the end, is what gets them answers. Sakura is willing to wait for an explanation, and Sasuke seems to feel the same, but Naruto presses at the nameless boy's mind incessantly, bombarding him with fragments of thoughts and half-formed questions. Under all of that, Sakura doesn't think anyone can ignore the blond. Still, Nameless manages for a few tense minutes before he breaks.

 _Stop,_ Nameless sends, and a deep shudder runs through his mind. _Can't be true_ — _what is this? Betrayed_ — _!_

He stops, beginning to put up his mental shields. Sakura hurls herself at them quickly, but she's too late-they slam up and lock into place.

"Kakashi, can you—" Sakura starts, but they're connected and there isn't even any reason for her to speak out loud. Kakashi's mind moves in, and in a single blow shatters the comparatively weak shields. Just in time, because the moment the shields fall the nameless boy's mind dissolves into full-fledged panic.

 _No, no, no this can't_ — _stop it, I won't, you can't_ — _!_

It's the most thought and emotion Sakura has ever felt from him… which is even more of an indicator that something is truly wrong. Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke hover around his mind anxiously, straining for more information. Unfortunately, Nameless seems to be too distraught to give them any more coherent thought—the rest of what they get from him is pure emotion, fear and sorrow and betrayal all meshing together.

"Sakura."

She opens her eyes and looks at Kakashi. He isn't driving anymore—he'd pulled over sometime during their mental excursions to avoid crashing.

"What do you want me to do?" he asks. "Something is very, very wrong. Do we keep heading for Sasuke, or do we change course?"

She swallows nervously.

"I'm not even sure where Nameless is," she admits. "When I see him, he's always on a mission or in that cathedral, and that's only when that Danzo man lets him. I have no clue where he actually lives."

Kakashi freezes.

"Say that again," he demands. Sakura blinks.

"Ah… I have no clue where he actually—?"

"No, before that. The man…"

"You mean Danzo?" Sakura says. "He's the nameless boy's… um, captain, I think? Some sort of leader. Nameless can't even go a single night without mentioning him."

Kakashi swears and unbuckles his seatbelt. Sakura blinks at him in surprise.

"Obito! Rin! Yamato!"

That he calls Yamato by his real name instead of Tenzou is evidence that this is serious. As Kakashi disappears through the door leading to the living space of the trailer Sakura takes off her own seatbelt and trails behind him, flinching at the dangerous aura radiating from her Guardian.

"What's wrong, Kakashi?" Rin asks. All three of them had been sitting at the table, playing cards (a favorite time-waster of theirs), but they stand when Kakashi storms into the cabin. Kakashi looks straight at Yamato.

"Danzo," he snarls. His team tenses. Yamato's eyes go impossibly wide.

"What do you mean?" Obito asks, narrowing his eyes. "Danzo is dead. We made sure of it."

"No, he isn't," Kakashi says. "There was always the possibility that he'd survived, and Sakura has just proved it to me that he's still around."

Obito swallows, and Rin glares murderously. Yamato looks like he's in shock, eyes wide.

"Yamato," Kakashi says. "One of Sakura's teammates has worked for Danzo for several years, like you did. What would Danzo have done to cause panic and terror in someone who's been desensitized to killing and death from birth?"

Yamato takes a deep breath, one that shakes a little. Rin puts a hand on his shoulder for support.

"There is a… test, for those in training for certain jobs," he begins. "I did not have to take part in them. They're the only thing I think would feel enough like betrayal to induce strong emotion."

"What kind of test?" Sakura asks quietly, afraid of the answer she'll receive. Yamato looks at her, and his eyes are glazed over, as if he's lost in memories.

"You are tasked with killing your partner, the one person you've worked with since you could walk," the Sealer says tonelessly. "Only one of you are allowed to return, and if you refuse, or fail, he kills you both."

Sakura's blood turns to ice in her veins, and she swallows around the sudden lump in her throat.

"How long does the test last?"

"That depends on if the partners are equally matched… or if one is more bloodthirsty than the other. In truth, there's no way to tell," Yamato answers. Sakura flinches, and can't stop the panic that begins to rise in her chest.

"No, no, we can't let this—there has to be something we can do, please, we can't let him die—!"

Obito's hand settles on her shoulder, and she jumps, twisting to stare up at him. His eyes are red, tomoe pattern spiralling, and even as she watches they shift again, into the pattern she recognizes that means he's preparing to use Kamui.

"Yamato," Obito says. "Where did the test occur? Were they in different places?"

"No," Yamato replies. "They were always in field 22C, across from the training facility but just out of view to give trainees a sense of privacy during their final exam—and so other teams won't realize what the final test is until it's too late." His eyes suddenly widen, and Sakura sees the exact moment Obito's plan transmits across their link, because they all gasp.

"Obito, you don't even know if you can transport three people there, much less four back again afterwards!" Rin cries in objection. Kakashi nods in agreement. "It's too dangerous!"

"If we don't go now, Sakura's teammate might die!" Obito shouts. "Their team would be destroyed before it even got together, and I'm not going to sit by when I can do this! I've been storing up power for days because I knew something like this would happen!" He pauses to breathe, making a visible effort to calm himself before continuing. "Listen, I know I can do it. Have some faith in me, guys. I'll be fine." He grins weakly. Through her own link with Kakashi, she can feel the Protector's objection crumpling, replaced by his unshakable faith in his teammate. Rin must feel the same, because she shakes her head, but her expression softens.

"It's a bad idea," she says, but Obito only winks at her.

"Don't worry Rin, we'll all come back in one piece," he reassures her. "I'll even bring you back a souvenir, okay? 'Kashi isn't getting anything."

He's convinced them. Obito puts his hand on Sakura's back and holds the other out to Yamato. Yamato takes it.

"Sakura?" he asks. "Are you ready?"

She's made a promise to Sasuke to come as soon as possible, but Nameless needs them. Sakura reaches out to Sasuke's mind and pours all of her frustration, fear, and apology into one lash of emotion. He jumps in surprise at her onslaught, and then his mind presses against hers in understanding.

 _Go,_ he replies. _I can wait. Keep your promise, but he needs you._

She winces at a fresh flash of terror that bolts through the nameless boy's mind, and nods. Obito doesn't give her any other warnings, and she feels a build up of power around them, swirling into existence. A half second later it sucks them in. Sakura closes her eyes as the world blurs.

* * *

Naturally, Obito has bad timing, and bad luck as well, because Kamui spits them out right in front of a boy charging forwards with a sword. For a half second, Sakura is frozen, because the blade is sweeping towards her torso and she can't move and she promised not to die until she got her team—!

Then Yamato is there, stepping out of Kamui gracefully and thrusting a hand forwards. Wood erupts from his palm, twisting around the boy and knocking his sword to the side. It sticks into the ground three feet from Sakura's foot.

"You okay, Sakura?" Yamato asks quickly, narrowing his eyes. The boy caught in his wood—not Nameless—struggles, but Yamato's attack has effectively immobilized him.

"F-fine," Sakura stammers out. "And yourself?"

"Fine as well," he replies. "But Obito—"

"I'm fine," Obito growls out. Sakura glances around and spots him on one knee, panting hard. Sweat drips from his forehead, but he isn't incapacitated like he had been last time. "Just peachy. Pay no attention to me."

Someone makes a small noise of disbelief behind them. It isn't Obito or Yamato. Sakura whips around, and even as she turns she knows who she's going to see.

Nameless.

There is a tanto in his hand, but the weapon is loosely held, and looks as if it will slip out of his fingers at any moment. His face is pale—even more so than usual. There's a deep gash across one of his arms, blood spilling into the grass. He stares at her in incomprehension for a few seconds. When he does speak, he doesn't say what Sakura is expecting him to.

Instead, he opens his mouth, eyes still slightly wide, and says, "You're even uglier in person."

He himself looks surprised at what has just come out of his mouth, but Sakura should've expect something like that.

She's tempted to be afraid of him. She's watched him kill dozens in cold blood. She's seen the frozen look on his face as he lifts his weapon to deliver a final blow. She's seen him bleeding from twenty open wounds and barely flinch as he dresses them by himself.

But he is also her teammate. She's connected to him in mind and soul. She knows him, even though he doesn't have a name.

And because she knows him, can't be afraid of him even after everything she's seen him do, she has no problem with marching over to him, clenching her fist, and planting it right into the center of his face.

There is a moment of stunned silence, and then, from his trapped position wrapped in Tenzou's wood, the other boy starts to laugh. Nameless flinches in surprise, as if the sound is foreign. In his emotionless world, it probably is, and Sakura is impressed that the other boy is even able to chuckle.

"Don't call me that," Sakura snaps as Nameless lifts his head, rubbing at the place he'd hit her in shock.

"You're… really here," he says. "How did you know? I didn't—I don't—" His mind is still panicking. This is the first time Sakura has ever heard him trip over his words. She can't imagine this has been a fun day for him.

Yamato slowly releases the other boy from the wood. He appears to be slightly older than Sakura's teammate, with shoulder-length grey hair, and he's still chuckling. Nameless shoots him an incredulous look.

"What are you doing here?" he asks when he turns back to Sakura. "Why did you come?"

Sakura raises an eyebrow at him.

"Do you really think I'd just sit by and feel you panicking without doing anything about it? You're part of me now—part of all of us."

"How were you able to appear—?"

"We'll have to save the explanations for later," Yamato interrupts. "There's no time." He looks the two assassins over. "We need to leave the area. Obito can't transport us out quite yet, and Danzo will send agents to check on you two eventually. If you're coming, we need to go, now. It's a better option than the certain death that awaits you otherwise."

He bends to help Obito to his feet without waiting to hear their response, and Sakura stands in front of her teammate—solid, and real, and she can finally touch him. Ordinarily he doesn't show this much emotion on his face, but his mind buzzes with relief. He takes a step towards her, barely hesitates at all, and it's like something inside her has clicked into place. He must feel it too, because he freezes, and surprise flickers through his mind.

"This is infinitely better than killing each other," the other assassin says suddenly. "You're giving us a chance to get away from Danzo? My brother will go with you for sure, as was discussed earlier." Nameless' head snaps towards him. "I, however, will not be accompanying you."

"Brother… what are you talking about?" Nameless asks, and a note of worry in his voice. "You said we'd both be going if they came. This is our chance to leave. We've never… it's not right for us here. We've always felt like we belonged somewhere else." Unease ripples through his mind, cutting through the hope and relief she'd seen earlier.

Nameless' brother shakes his head.

"You don't belong here," he says. "You're connected with this girl. I suspected it the moment we learned about them, because you weren't acting as you normally did."

"Stop," Nameless orders him. "You're coming, too. I won't leave without you. Neither of us have to die this way." Sakura turns away. This is a private affair.

The brother sighs heavily.

"Look at me," he says. "My illness is taking its toll on me faster than anyone suspected. They thought they could get a few more years of service from me, but the doctors say I now have two months maximum before I become bedridden—one more after that, and I'll die. If your teammate hadn't interfered with our test here, I would have made sure you killed me, or killed myself so you could live. Do you understand? I'm dying. If I come with you I will only be a burden."

Now that he's said it, Sakura can see it. See that he's way too skinny, see the clammy look of his skin. He's sick—too sick for anything but a miracle to heal.

"You will not!" Nameless says. "If you stay, Danzo will kill you anyway once he finds out I am gone. At least come with us for a short while."

Their voices barely move as they speak, only slightly when they want to emphasize something. It's fascinating and creepy at the same time.

"I made up my mind long ago that I would die for you, brother," Nameless' teammate says. "I will stay, and hold Danzo and the rest of the organization off as long as I can. You will leave with these people, where you belong, and you will not attempt to return to my aid. This will be my final order to you as your superior, do you understand?"

Nameless swallows hard. His mind races, and Sakura only catches a bit of his thought process-he's been through this before, has had comrades die, some even taking hits for him, but he hadn't expected this one to be so painful-

"Yes, sir," Nameless replies, and his mind shuts down again. He turns on his heel and faces Yamato with a blank face. Yamato nods slowly.

"Let's go," he says. He's half-carrying Obito, who is still conscious but very weak. Sakura joins them slowly.

Yamato doesn't wait for anything else, heading for the trees at the edge of the training field. They'll be much safer there with cover than they are out here—she can tell Yamato is anxious to get them away from Danzo's facilities. They've nearly reached the treeline when Nameless suddenly stops.

"My brother is Shin," he says slowly. "He chose that name after I mentioned your idea to him, because there were no secrets between us, in the beginning." Sakura blinks in surprise. "I have chosen as well," he continues. "I wish to be called Sai."

She swallows, and meets his blank gaze with a smile.

"That's perfect, Sai."

She has questions—they all do. Because it just seems so easy. Neither Sai or Shin protested much. She'd expected Sai to at least be hesitant about leaving, because his loyalty had seemed absolute and unshakable even just last week, when she'd visited him in a dream. Something has changed since then. She doesn't know what, but with Shin's sacrifice fresh in all of their heads she can't bring herself to ask.

Sai's mind is a dark bluish-grey color that she's having trouble interpreting. Naruto and Sasuke are pressing closer to her, seeking answers to Sai's sudden and unexpected emotions—but Sakura has none, and she tells them as much.

Too many things remain unanswered, but before she can even ask, first they have to escape Danzo.

Sakura puts her back to training ground 22C and follows Yamato, Obito, and Sai into the shadows of the forest.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the wait, everyone! I recently recieved some depressing news and didn't feel like writing for a little bit, but I feel much better now, and have returned to this story in full force! I hope you enjoyed it, there's more to come! Please leave a review if you liked it, and thanks for your continued support!**


	7. Seals

"Why did you decide to come with us?" Sakura whispers. They're momentarily slumped against a thick tree trunk, muscles sore and tired. They aren't out of danger yet. Danzo's men are mere shadows in the trees, and could strike at any moment. For now, Sakura's group are are hidden, but the peace won't last too much longer. Yamato is standing guard, head set on a swivel as he scans their surroundings. Obito is nearby as well, legs crossed and eyes closed—gathering energy to bring them home.

Sai lifts his head. He's been silent since they left the training field.

"Does there have to be a reason?" he answers quietly. Sakura frowns. He's awfully subdued—but that's to be expected. Shin is dead. Sai is probably in shock.

"I thought there would be," she replies. He doesn't move.

A rustling comes from the undergrowth. Yamato and Sai tense. Sakura is too exhausted to move. She'd nearly collapsed halfway through their desperate flee, and only Sai's quick reflexes had saved her from crashing face-first into the dirt. He'd carried her for part of the way—for all she'd protested, it had been the right move. She's too slow to keep up with them.

She'll fix that as soon as she has the time too. Her teammates are all impossibly strong, and she's determined to make sure she isn't the one to drag them down.

(To be fair, she hasn't been training for battle since she could walk. Her life is so _easy_ compared to everyone else's—there hasn't been any need for her to know how to fight until now.)

The rustling fades a moment later, and Yamato relaxes. Sai does not, but Sakura knows he hasn't relaxed in years.

"Please, Sai?" she breaths. He glances at her, and his face is completely blank. He's in full mission mode. Sakura has seen it before, right before he'd slaughtered an entire household of people. She's watched him enough to know that it's a defense, an attempt to distance himself from current events and complete his assignment.

His mind rolls and shifts unsteadily. Frustration, anger, sadness, guilt, and terror bubble beneath the surface, but he holds them in place, refuses to let them rise any further.

After a few tense seconds, as Sakura fidgets uncomfortably, he turns to fully face her.

"What do you want to know?" he asks, anticipating the reason behind her staring. She winces. It sounds like he's bracing himself for an interrogation, but she can't help herself.

"Your brother mentioned discussing your decision to leave," she says carefully. "Why did you come with us so easily? I thought you were loyal to Danzo. I was certain it would take a lot of convincing to get you to leave."

He straightens his spine, and his mind flickers with deep blue sadness at the mention of his teammate. Outwardly, his face doesn't change.

"The establishment of your connection a few days ago was unwelcome. I was unable to prevent my body from reacting to such strong emotions, and my partner noticed. We were well educated on the signs of such a connection by Lord Danzo. He was required to report me so the connection could be broken and that your volatile emotions would not interfere with my missions."

"But he didn't," Sakura says, beginning to see where this is going. Sai gives her a curt nod.

"Correct, he did not. Instead, he revealed to me that he had been faking his own emotionless demeanor for years. He encouraged the link, ordered me not to go to Danzo myself. He is my partner, but he is the leader. I could not disobey. I could not—"

He breaks off, and Sakura gets the feeling he's not talking about the story anymore. Sai exhales slowly and continues.

"Your emotions were difficult to contain. I could successfully evade the full force of them by keeping my distance, however the amount that managed to slip through my shields was enough to cause my own emotions to become unpredictable, uncontainable. I saw things I hadn't noticed before. I saw Danzo's corruption, his favoritism. I heard the voices of the people I've killed in his name. I felt guilt and shame. I hadn't felt things like that in… a long time. Shin helped me through it, covered for me when I was unable to hide my discomfort. He's always done that."

"You saw who Danzo really was, without the brainwashing he's shoved into your head," Sakura comments. Her mouth feels dry. "You realized what he's done to you."

Sai nods slowly.

"I… noticed," he confirms. "It doesn't help that our teammates are extremely… rebellious, and headstrong."

Sakura chuckles. Understatement of the year. Their teammates are mules.

"At times their aggressive emotions influenced me as well. I nearly spoke out against Danzo during a meeting. The consequences for such an action would have been…" he trails off, and for the first time Sakura sees him shudder, "...horrific, to say the least."

"What did you do after that?" she asks. He opens his mouth.

" _Incoming!"_ Yamato hisses. Sai instantly bolts to his feet. He draws his tanto in a smooth motion just as the enemy bursts into the clearing in a blur of black and gray.

Yamato's wood spirals through the air, but the enemy agent dodges and slashes at it, evading the assault. Sai is quick to follow the Sealer's attack, shifting his weight to the balls of his feet and leaping into the air. His movements are graceful and quick, nearly too fast for Sakura to follow. The man, too distracted by Yamato, doesn't see Sai coming. Sai's tanto slashes neatly through the gap between his arm and chest protectors, and Danzo's agent goes down with a cry and a swell of blood that splatters across the greenery.

The man is dead before he hits the ground.

"We need to move," Sai says tonelessly, sheathing his tanto. "He would have reported our location before he attacked. If we stay, we'll be killed." Yamato nods and turns to attend to Obito. Sakura stares at the dead body and does not move.

"Sakura."

She shudders and tears her gaze away.

"I'm coming," she says, and does not look back.

* * *

"My brother has been with me longer than I can remember," Sai whispers to her. She'd urged him to continue his story and he'd obliged reluctantly, but he scans the trees incessantly as he talks, watching for more of Danzo's men. They've taken temporary refuge in the trees. Obito tells them it'll only take him a little longer to gather enough energy to teleport all four of them out.

"I didn't realize it," Sai continues, "but I had more loyalty to him than I did to Danzo. If I had realized that feeling sooner I no doubt would have tried to repress it, but it wasn't until your own emotions were influencing mine that I understood my…" he falters, hesitates. As if he doesn't know the word.

"Love," Sakura says. "You love him."

He tenses, and his body trembles for a moment. She feels his mind, his carefully crafted defenses, begin to crack. But then he blinks, and the utter agony and grief that had bled through is sucked back inside his shields.

"Yes," he confirms, still hesitant and slightly surprised. "Yes, I… love him. I do not love Lord Danzo. When we were ordered to kill each other, I did not… I couldn't…"

Sakura watches him carefully. He doesn't _look_ troubled—his face is too disciplined for that—but he is tired, mentally and physically. Sakura knows she would be in shock if this was happening to her, but his training is preventing him from reacting with the horror and surprise that would ordinarily be shown. She can't decide if that's a blessing or a curse.

"Due to my newfound emotions Shin and I had decided that if we were given the chance to leave, we would, but we didn't know what our final exam would consist of. When I stood across from him with my sword drawn, all loyalty I had felt towards Lord Danzo disappeared."

He still addresses Danzo with a title of respect. Sakura wonders if it's been so ingrained into his head that he can't help it.

"This is why I did not hesitate to join you," Sai says. "I did not want your emotions at first. They surprised me, made all of my training worthless. Even after I grew used to them I kept my distance. Now that has changed. My brother is dead. I want to _feel_."

Sakura understands.

"It will hurt," she warns. "It will hurt more than anything ever has."

Sai's eyes bore into her own, and an emotion flashes across his face. It is hope.

"As long as it isn't the emptiness it would be without you," he tells her, completely serious, and she's so surprised and shaken by that statement that she almost falls off the branch.

Obito snorts at her.

"Hey!" she snarls, righting herself and appreciating the break in the tense atmosphere. "Don't laugh at me, you jerk! You have no right to—"

She turns her head and sees the older Pathfinder rising to his feet, both eyes red with Sharingan and clenching his fists in determination.

"I'm ready," he declares. "I can do it. We can't stay a moment longer, we're doing it now. Trust me?"

Sakura does trust him. So she reaches out, takes his outstretched hand and struggles not to fall to the forest floor. Yamato follows, and after a moment's hesitation Sai does as well.

"Okay," Obito says. "Alright. We're doing this. It's fine, everything's fine. Kamui is our friend. Kamui won't hurt us. Probably. Hopefully." His nervous chatter is strangely comforting. Sakura grins as his grip on her hand tightens.

"Here we go."

His Sharingan whirls, shifts. Sakura gasps as it begins to pull at her, tugging and stretching. Sai hisses in displeasure, and in another half second Obito has sucked them up into oblivion.

* * *

Kamui lets them out in the middle of Kakashi's trailer. It's a rough landing. Sakura isn't able to keep her balance and falls to her knees, nearly banging her head into the wall. Yamato lurches unsteadily, and Sai leans to the side alarmingly far. Obito collapses, and at the same moment Kakashi and Rin's cries of shock fill the air.

Sai flinches back as Rin and Kakashi race to their teammate, hand going to the hilt of his sword. Rin doesn't even notice, but Kakashi pauses, narrowing his visible eye at Sakura's teammate. Through their link, their Guardian flicks at Sai's mind. Sai winces at the mental blow. A flash of relief sends over the link— _Kakashi is a friend, someone connected, someone who can be trusted_ —and this time, Sai doesn't even try to hide it.

Rin kneels over Obito and puts her hands to his temples. A green glow surrounds them—her healing powers. Kakashi and Yamato hover behind her like nervous mother hens. After a moment, Rin sighs.

"He's fine," she tells them. "I thought he would be worse, but he's gotten better at Kamui. He shouldn't be out for too long, either." That's a relief. And now they're safe. Everything is going to be fine.

Sai is here, alive. She can touch him. He came willingly. The thought sends joy spiralling through her link, and all three boys jump at the sensation, startled, but appreciative. Sai sucks in a quick breath behind her. She turns to him, and grins. As Rin and Kakashi put Obito's limp form on the bunk beds, she opens her mouth.

"Kakashi, Rin," she begins. "This is Sai, my teammate. He's going to be with us from now on." She throws an arm around her teammate's shoulders. He flinches, but does not move away.

"Welcome aboard, Sai!" Rin says, cheerful as always. Kakashi eye-smiles, arms relaxed at his side, and his approval echoes dully through the link.

Sai's mind trembles. Sakura senses it, and turns to him in concern.

"Ah—are you alright?" she asks hesitantly. He doesn't meet her eyes, instead lowering his head so that his bangs cover his face.

"Um—"

"Sakura," Yamato interrupts quickly, then pauses. "Don't… it might be best if we give Sai a little space for a minute."

Sakura can feel Sai's grief beginning to overpower his mental blocks, and it's heartbreaking. She doesn't want to leave him. But Yamato would have been in Sai's situation at one point, he most likely knows best. She moves to step away from her teammate, but Sai's hand shoots out and grabs her wrist in a tight grip.

"No," Sai says. He's breathing hard, as if he can't control himself. "No, don't leave. Stay." He shudders. Now that he isn't stuck in a life-or-death situation, his adrenaline and battle-focus are disappearing. Sai won't be able to contain his emotions for much longer. Sakura turns her wrist so that their hands are pressed together.

"Okay," she says gently. "Okay, I understand. I won't leave."

Sai swallows, and takes a deep breath that catches in his throat.

"My… my brother," he whispers, broken and anguished.

All of his walls come crashing down, and the wave of sorrow and misery is unlike anything Sakura has ever felt before. He sinks to his knees, and Sakura follows him, pressing closer in concern.

"My _brother,"_ Sai groans, voice thick in mourning. He isn't crying, but his body trembles. Sakura holds him tightly and rides out his grief like a tidal wave, pushing her own comforts towards him.

"I'm sorry," Sakura tells him. "I'm sorry, Sai." That's all she can say. And he doesn't seem to need anything else, because he returns her embrace awkwardly and closes his eyes.

"My brother," he says a third time. From behind them, there is slight shuffling as Yamato, Obito, and Rin head to the front of the trailer to give them more privacy. Sakura doesn't watch them go, instead reaching towards Sai's mind carefully.

"It will be alright," she tells him softly. "I can promise you that. We're here for you." As if sensing her words, Naruto and Sasuke press closer, surrounding Sai's mind with warmth. Kakashi is there too, watching from afar but still emanating a sensation of approval and comfort.

"You… promise," Sai whispers, and it isn't a question, but it reminds Sakura so much of Sasuke's earlier skepticism that she squeezes his hand.

"I promise," she swears, and has to bite her lip to prevent herself from sobbing too as Sai hunches in on himself and _finally_ submits to his grief.

* * *

They set a course straight for Sasuke the next morning. They're only a day and a half's drive away from their destination, but Yamato slows their pace down a bit. Sai needs to adjust, he says, needs time to get himself out of the loyal-killer mindset that Danzo had forced him to take.

It's mid-afternoon, about a day's journey from their target. Sakura is curled up on the couch, texting Ino. Her friend only knows the vague details of her trip—Sakura wasn't quite sure how to explain the majority of her situation, especially the whole connection thing. Ino knows that Sakura is on some sort of road trip, but not much more. At least Sakura can still talk to her.

Rin and Obito are up front driving. Sai is perched on the other side of the couch, watching a random cartoon on the TV intently. He's never seen cartoons before. It's almost hilarious how efficiently they keep him entertained, but it does make sense—the different styles of artwork intrigue him to no end.

Yamato and Kakashi are sitting at the table in the kitchenette. Their voices are low, but in such a small space it's hard to not overhear.

"… you sure you're alright?" Kakashi says lowly. Yamato sighs—it's a weary, old-sounding sigh.

"I'm fine, Kakashi," the Sealer replies. "I'm not that easy to break, you know."

"I do know. And that's why I'm worried. Danzo nearly destroyed you, Yamato. I'm _not_ going to let that happen a second time," Kakashi growls. "Our team will never be separated again." There's a low thrum of loyalty and fierce protectiveness in his voice that sends a shiver down Sakura's spine. His mind rolls aggressively through their link.

"That was long time ago, and you saved me from that place," Yamato reminds him. "Any emotional backlash I had from my time under his command was destroyed by Rin when I joined this team. I got over Danzo _years ago._ Trust me, 'Kashi. I'm _fine_." He puts his hand on Kakashi's shoulder, and Kakashi's entire body relaxes. His mind settles.

"Right. I… sorry, Yamato." Yamato scoffs, shaking his head.

"You're apologizing for doing your job, Protector? It must've killed you to be stuck behind while we went so close to Danzo. Are _you_ okay?"

Kakashi is silent for a moment, but then he chuckles.

"Fine, just fine. Better than fine, even, Tenzou. I have two teams to take care of now, and the second one is finally starting to take shape."

"I'm glad," Yamato says. "But it's Yamato, not Tenzou."

"Whatever you say, Tenzou," Kakashi sing-songs, and Yamato smacks him. Kakashi is back to his normal, slightly irritating self.

The entire trailer rattles for a few moments as it slows, and Yamato glances up, rising from his seat. Sai glances at him, tearing his gaze away from his cartoon.

"We're making a quick stop here," Yamato says, gesturing for Sai and Sakura to follow him. "It won't take too long, I promise."

Sai's mind sparks with curiosity, and Sakura grins.

* * *

They've stopped at a park just off a highway. Rin and Obito stagger out of the front seats, muscles stiff from sitting for so long. Kakashi and Yamato stroll after them, with Sakura and Sai trailing behind. It's a warm afternoon, not too hot, with a breeze that feels wonderful on the skin. Sakura sighs happily and has to restrain herself from sprinting across the field in joy.

Obito, it seems, has no qualms against that, because he dives at Kakashi the moment the Protector is in range, tackling him to the ground. Sakura wonders how Obito had even gotten the drop on Kakashi until she notices his Sharingan are active.

Rin snorts.

"Children, both of them," she scoffs, but makes no move to stop them. "They've been cooped up for a while, and it's been too long since we took an official mission. If they don't get all that energy out of their systems now, they'll be terrors for the rest of the trip." Kakashi plunges his fist into Obito's stomach, but the Pathfinder phases through it like a ghost. Sakura gasps. Rin rolls her eyes. "Blatant misuse of their powers," she mutters as Kakashi shoots a fireball at his teammate.

"Over here, please!" Yamato calls. He's standing in the middle of the field. Sakura joins him, but isn't surprised when Yamato points to Sai.

"We need to find out which role of the team you'll fill," Yamato tells them. "Sakura is obviously the Connector, but the other three options could be possibilities." He tilts his head and looks at Sai curiously. "What are you good at?"

Sai looks slightly startled at the question, and lifts an eyebrow as if to say, "What do you think?"

"Killing people," he states abruptly. Sakura used to flinch when he said that, but now she doesn't even blink.

"Okay," Yamato says evenly. "What else?" Sakura is impressed at his nonchalant reply. Sai frowns, but then he sighs.

"I can draw," he says. "But it's a hobby that I've mostly managed to drop. Lord Danzo was not very encouraging of the skill."

"Lucky for you, we are," Rin interjects, grinning. "Can you show us? I'd like to see, if you don't mind."

Sai blinks, and tries to hides his surprise from the link. He's still in the habit of constraining his emotions, and Sakura doesn't think that will go away soon. Sai's wounds are deep, it will take time before they are fully healed.

"I suppose I could do something," he says slowly, and disappears to fetch some supplies from the trailer—a small scroll and a few assorted pencils, pens, and brushes that he'd kept on him even while working under Danzo.

"Oh, is he gonna do something cool?" Obito asks, half of his upper body emerging from the ground. Sakura shrieks in surprise, kicking at him, but her foot goes right through his head. He shoots her a mildly annoyed look as he pulls himself out of the earth.

"Think so," Rin answers shortly as Kakashi joins them. "Want to place bets, boys?" Yamato sighs heavily and doesn't comment, but Obito grins.

"He'll be a pathfinder, obviously. It's the best role," he announces proudly. Kakashi snorts.

"No way. Drawing? A Sealer, for sure."

Obito makes a face.

"If only you weren't usually right about these things," he mourns. "Hey, Sharingan is awesome! Full of secrets that I don't even know, remember? You can't possibly say he's a Sealer for sure."

"True," Kakashi says evenly. "But I'll bet 800 ryo that he's a Sealer."

"You're on," Obito says automatically, and then winces when Kakashi shoots him a triumphant look, swearing softly.

Sakura tilts her head.

"What do you mean, the Sharingan has secrets you don't even know?" she asks them. Obito shrugs.

"It's sort of an unpredictable power," he explains. "It does what it wants sometimes. Remember last time we teleported via Kamui to rescue Sai?" She nods. "We appeared exactly between the two of them, just in time to stop what was a potentially fatal clash. What, did you think I had some sort of stupid luck or something?" She had, and he grins at her guilty look. "Part of a Pathfinder's job is to set the team on the right path. It's in the name, y'know. Sharingan will do what it can to make sure we get to where we need to be, at the correct time and place. It's not even me most of the time."

"Whoa," Sakura says. She wants to ask him more, but Sai chooses that moment to return, art supplies in tow. He pauses, glancing at them, and unrolls the scroll.

"What… would you like me to draw?" he asks, slightly hesitant. Yamato shrugs.

"Anything you want, something small if you don't mind," he instructs. "We just want to try and sense what role you'll be. It might not even be triggered by drawing, so don't be alarmed if nothing out of the ordinary happens. Rin is going to be transmitting a little bit of power into your system, so don't freak out."

Rin nods and puts her hands on Kakashi's shoulders. Sakura can sense the power stream, from Rin to Kakashi through their link to Sai.

Sai nods, and gets to work, reaching for a paintbrush and beginning to sketch. They watch him in silence for a few moments, and then Sai stops and puts the brush down.

"Finished," he announces unnecessarily, and then looks at Yamato flatly. "Nothing out of the ordinary happened."

Naturally, the moment he speaks is the moment something _does_ happens.

Ink rises up from Sai's parchment, shifting and straining against its paper confinements. Sai gasps in surprise and nearly drops it—terribly out of character for him, but understandable at this point—as a majestic tiger, expertly sketched, rises up out of his scroll and lands lightly on the ground. It growls at them, flexing its claws, and lets out and earth-shattering roar that makes Sakura's ears ring.

Obito lets out a nervous laugh to fill the amazed silence that falls.

"Are you sure nothing out of the ordinary happened, Sai?" he asks sarcastically as the tiger twines itself around Sai's body. It easily reaches Sakura's shoulders in height, large enough for even three of them to ride if it were to let them. Sai's eyes are wide, and he reaches out a cautious hand as the tiger stretches its head towards him. Ink smears across his skin when he touches it, but he doesn't seem to mind.

Rin hums in success.

"My power was just enough to jumpstart his," she tells them proudly. "It wasn't gone, he just hadn't been able to access it for a long time. Incredible, isn't it?"

Sakura grins, and something in her mind clicks into place again. She knows exactly who Sai is, what his drawings represent. Evidently Kakashi feels it too, because he straightens and tilts his head.

"Sealer," he confirms. "I knew it."

"Don't know why I even try," Obito bemoans, and forks over a handful of notes from his wallet that Kakashi gleefully accepts.

Incredible indeed, Sakura thinks, and watches Sai gingerly pet his creation with no small amount of awe present in his gaze.

Their team is finally starting to grow, and Sakura couldn't be happier.

* * *

 _She dreams that night, once they've returned to the road and given Sai plenty of time to experiment with his newly discovered powers. But it isn't a normal dream—well, normal for her, anyway. She does not see Naruto, or Sasuke._

 _Instead, she watches in horror as Sai's tanto slashes through Danzo's agent again, and again, and again, with feet rooted to the forest floor and unable to tear her eyes away. She cries out, but nothing she can say is fast enough to stop Sai's weapon from finding its mark. The enemy's body crumples to the ground—and she does feel relief, because they are safe-but perhaps that is what disgusts her most of all._

 _She'd watched a man die, and felt_ relief.

 _Sometimes, when she looks down at the body, it is Naruto who lies dead on the mossy ground. Sometimes it is Sasuke. Sometimes it is Sai himself, and once or twice it is Kakashi._

 _The final time, Sakura looks down at the body and sees herself, blank eyes open and unseeing in death._

She wakes up screaming, and can't stop—not even when Kakashi comes back from the front of the trailer to grab her in a firm hold and whisper soft comforts into her ears. When Sai follows, putting one hand hesitantly on her shoulder, she relaxes just a bit, but it is only once all four of her teammate's minds press in on hers, forcing the horrid images away, that she is able to calm down completely.

"Do not feel bad," Sai tells her quietly once she's settled. "I reacted a similar way the first time I witnessed a kill."

Sakura swallows, because something doesn't seem right in that statement. She looks him over carefully.

"How old were you when that happened?" she asks, fearing the answer, and frowns when he shrugs.

"I don't really remember it that well," he says. "I was… five, perhaps. Maybe six?"

Her stomach heaves, but she manages to control herself. Sai isn't stupid, though, and he's connected to her. He feels it.

"I'm sorry," he says. A flicker of raw honesty filters through their link. "Sorry, it is… natural to me. Normal." She already knows this, but it doesn't make her any less sick. If anything, it makes her feel worse. Sai still looks concerned. She offers him a watery smile and sends a quick burst of reassurance through the connection that doesn't seem to convince him of anything.

She doesn't want to imagine where Sai would be right now if they hadn't showed up when she did. But all it does is give her more of a desire to help the rest of her team. She knows their trials, but anything could happen to them while she's on the road.

She needs to save them, and as soon as possible.

Their entire team is counting on her.

* * *

 **A/N: Apologies for the delay in posting this, everyone. Hope you enjoyed it regardless!**

 **I'm trying something new, guys: I made a tumblr page and an instagram, where I'll be posting snippets of work and headcanons for all of my stories there. You're welcome to shoot me questions or remind me to update or even come fangirl about ninjas or robots or anything else with me on either of those sites! Same username as always, meridianpony! :)**


	8. Sharingan

**A/N: Warning-child abuse.**

* * *

" _Please," Sasuke begs hoarsely. "Please, Father, don't_ —"

 _He breaks off in a strangled cry as his father brings his foot down again, mashing Sasuke's fingers against the floor._

" _Don't tell me what to do, boy!" Sasuke's father hisses. He's drunk again, but it's worse than normal this time around_ — _and if Sasuke has resorted to begging instead of his usual defiance that means that this has been going on for a long time. Sakura falls to her knees at the horrific sight, pressing a hand to her mouth in an effort to contain the scream that threatens to emerge from her throat._

 _Sasuke is pinned to the floor by his father's bulk face down, one arm pulled tight behind his back and the other crushed beneath the man's foot. There's a purple bruise running across the entire left side of his face, and a trickle of blood runs from the side of his mouth. However, Sasuke's father isn't unscathed either_ — _he has a black eye. Sasuke hadn't gone down without a fight._

 _Sasuke yelps when his father grabs him by the hair and drags his head back. Sakura hadn't ever thought it possible for him to make such a sound, and to hear it now sends a spike of dread and horror through her chest._

" _Father_ — _!" Sasuke tries again, eyes screwed up in pain, and Sasuke's father jerks Sasuke's head brutally to the side._

" _Don't call me that," the man rasps. "Don't call me that, you worthless creature! I'm not the father of a murderer!"_

 _Sasuke gasps when his father lets go of his hair, bucking up against the older man's hold and nearly throwing him off. His father snarls in rage._

" _Think you have a right to live, boy?" he hisses. "Think that your mother gave her life so you could live? If I had known you'd kill her before you were even fully out of the womb I would've made sure you never existed!"_

 _Sasuke thrashes, letting out a wordless cry of fury and pain. His father is too inebriated to keep his balance this time and stumbles, but as a result all of his weight falls onto Sasuke's trapped fingers. Sasuke screams and twists, rolling to the side. When he rises to his knees he's cradling his fingers to his chest._

 _Sasuke's father swears harshly, swaying, and it takes a moment for his eyes to focus again. When they do, they zero in on Sasuke._

" _Com'ere, boy," he orders lowly, and Sasuke flinches, drawing back instead._

" _Run," Sakura whispers. "Sasuke, run!"_

 _He doesn't seem to hear her. His eyes are wide and wild, like a cornered animal, but he doesn't move._

 _His father's nostrils flare._

" _Disobeying your father, now, are we?" he rumbles. "I thought I'd taught you better. You're even more useless than I originally thought!"_

" _You're not useless," Sakura whispers, because she can both see and feel that Sasuke is quickly reaching his limit. "You're part of our team, you're important, we need you more than you realize_ — _don't listen to him_ —" _  
_" _Well?" Sasuke's father thunders, and Sasuke's jaw clenches. "What are you waiting for? Obey me!"_

" _You don't have to!" Sakura cries, but her teammate doesn't even look at her. Instead, he moves slowly to his feet, wincing when he accidentally puts pressure on the fingers his father had injured._

 _His entire body is trembling, but he's staring at his father in determination and grim acceptance. He takes a step forward._

" _No!" Sakura shouts. "You can't do this to yourself, run while you still can! Sasuke!"_

 _Sasuke's father sneers as Sasuke comes closer._

" _That's right, boy," he croons. "You'll take your punishments well, won't you? Be good for me, now. After all, this is your fault to begin with."_

 _The filthy man reaches up and grabs Sasuke's chin, lifting his head uncomfortably far. Sasuke winces._

" _It isn't your fault!" Sakura screams_ — _Sasuke's father can't hear her, of course, but Sasuke jerks as if he'd been stung. His father's grip tightens to prevent him from pulling away._

" _Oh, no you don't, you little brat," the man snarls, but it's like Sakura's shout has broken a spell_ — _now Sasuke fights, clawing at his father's hands and kicking viciously at his chest._

" _Get off!" Sasuke snarls_ — _his eyes flicker and spin until they are red_ — _Sharingan red._

 _Pathfinder._

 _Sasuke's father lets out a wordless shout of rage, and he lets go of Sasuke's chin. Sasuke tears away from him, turning, and his tomoe eyes meet Sakura's. A thrum of energy shoots through her veins, but before she can comprehend what that means Sasuke's father lashes out. He hits his son with a brutal backhand to the side of his head, sending Sasuke crashing into the wall._

" _Where do you think you're going?" he roars, grabs Sasuke by the arm, and…_

 _Freezes._

 _Freezes, with his eyes trained right on… Sakura._

" _Who… who're you?" he slurs, and Sasuke's eye widen in horror. Sakura's mouth drops open._

" _Why're you in my house?" the large man growls, and Sakura takes a nervous step back._

" _Your eyes, Sasuke," she whispers, not daring to take her gaze off of the dangerous adult. "Your eyes_ — _as long as he's touching you he can see me… and probably touch me, too."_

 _Sasuke makes a tiny noise of terror and twists out of his father's grip while the man is distracted. She can feel his fear and pain reverberating through their link, but he weaves around his furious father and charges right for her instead._

" _Come on!" he shouts_ — _his eyes flare, he reaches out, and grabs her by the hand._

 _He's made her solid_ — _she's not sure if it's intentional or not._

 _Sasuke drags her through the door and pulls her down the stairs. His father isn't far behind, but he's stumbling and unsteady on his feet. The man swears loudly and lets out a wordless scream of fury as Sasuke and Sakura scramble down the staircase._

" _Don't look back!" Sasuke tells her, and wrenches his front door open. He shoves her outside and lets go of her hand_ — _she glances back just in time to see him stop on the front porch. She skids to a halt and turns back to him._

" _Wait!" Sakura yelps. "Wait, what about you? Come on, we need to go! He's coming!"_

 _She reaches for his uninjured hand again, but he flinches away from her and takes a step back._

 _Sasuke hesitates just on the threshold of freedom, and she wants to scream in frustration._

" _Please!" she begs, and reaches for him again, but he skitters away from her touch. Behind them, Sasuke's father shouts something cruel that echoes through the whole house._

" _I… can't," Sasuke tells her, eyes wide, and she watches as his Sharingan fades. "I can't leave, I just…"_

" _Why not?" she demands. "We're so close. We're less than a day away. If you stay, he'll hurt you more! Come with me now, and we'll find you as soon as I wake up!"_

 _He's shaking his head and backing away now. She tries to follow him._

" _I can't just leave him like this," Sasuke whispers hoarsely. His eyes are fixed firmly on the floor. "He's… he's horrible, but he is my father. You said it yourself_ — _he's not mentally sound, he can't… something might happen_ —" _  
_" _All the more reason for me to get you out of here, right now!" Sakura interrupts loudly. "He's hurting you! Let go of your loyalty to him, it isn't right! He has no reason to treat you this way. Let's go! I promise you everything will be okay! Our team is almost all together, and we need a Pathfinder to help us get to Naruto!"_

 _Sasuke's eyes dart up to meet hers._

" _Naruto…?" he says, staring at her. "Naruto is still in that… lab?"_

 _She nods._

" _We can't get to him without you," she says. "The team needs you. Sasuke, please. You are worth so much more than your father has tricked you to believe. We want you to come with us. You're a valued member of the team already."_

 _Sasuke shudders. He takes a hesitant step forwards, casting a nervous look over his shoulder_ —

 _And then he cries out as two hands appear from out of nowhere, wrapping themselves around his neck and dragging him away from the open door._

" _Sasuke!" Sakura cries, leaping back towards the house, but Sasuke's father slams the door shut and locks it before she can get there. She's still solid even though Sasuke's sharingan is gone, so she slams into the wood instead of phasing through._

" _No!" she shrieks, turning the handle frantically_ —

 _It's locked._

" _No, no, no_ — _Sasuke!"_

" _Sakura!" she hears him cry, but it's muffled, and cut of by a sharp 'thwack' that she can hear even through the door._

" _Stop it, stop it!" she shouts, and pounds on the door. It doesn't budge, so she goes for a window instead, hurling herself towards it_ — _not her smartest move, but if it gets her to Sasuke faster than any injuries she gets will be well worth it_ —

 _Instead of plunging through the window as she'd expected to, darkness spirals in from nowhere, encompassing her entire body. She feels herself return to the realm of intangibility just before she hits the glass, and by then it's too late to fight against the pull of the real world._

 _She is thrown out of the dream, leaving Sasuke behind and at the mercy of his horrendous father._

* * *

"Sasuke!" she gasps, bolting upright. Her chest is heaving, and there's a ball of lead settled in her stomach. Across the trailer on the couch Sai is already awake, staring at her in concern. There is a wordless question on his face. Sakura can't speak quite yet, so she gathers a heap of memories from her dream and shoves them at him, then Kakashi, then Naruto. They need to know what's going on.

Sai's eyes widen as he processes the memory, and he takes a deep breath. He rises from the coach in a smooth motion, crossing over to her spot on the bottom bunk bed.

"Sakura," he whispers. "Sasuke is strong. He'll be okay until we get there."

She swallows. She swore not to cry anymore, but it's tempting now. Sai seems to realize this, because he lifts a hand and runs it through her hair tentatively in an attempt to comfort her. The movement is slightly awkward, as if he's never done it before, but she appreciates the gesture anyway and leans into his hand.

"How do you know he'll be fine?" she asks. "That evil man could kill him while we're still _hours_ away, and we wouldn't even be able to feel it because he keeps blocking us out!" Sasuke's mental walls are incredible efficient—even Kakashi can't quite breach them. Sai sighs.

"He's trying to protect us, Ugly," he reminds her quietly, and Sakura can't find the energy to snap at him for the nickname—this time, it comes out more fond than insulting, and she finds that she doesn't mind it as much that way.

Before she can voice her fears again, a spike of burning hot anger drills through her mind from their connection. She yelps in surprise and pain at the force of it, nearly doubling over. Sai grits his teeth and hisses as it slams into him as well. She isn't surprised when she realizes who the source of the anger is.

Kakashi storms into the cabin like a hurricane, and the air seems to crackle around him. Barely restrained power clings to his skin instead of lashing out at the rest of the world. His only visible eye is narrowed in fury.

"Uh oh," Obito mutters from the top bunk. Sakura wonders how long he's been awake—not that it really matters. The Pathfinder slides off of the top bunk, narrowly missing Sai as he comes down, and lands lightly on the floor.

"Hey, 'Kashi, what's got you so riled up?" he asks slowly, carefully. Kakashi's fingers twitch, and then he clenches them into fists and does not answer. From behind him Yamato sticks his head into the cabin, watching with wide eyes, and Rin rises from the tiny cot she'd claimed in the kitchen area.

Obito's Sharingan are active. He watches Kakashi warily. The Guardian's anger is near palpable, and the air begins to smell faintly of ozone.

"Kakashi," Rin says quickly, taking her place at Obito's side. The two of them advance towards the silver-haired man slowly. "Kakashi, we're all fine. There's no need to worry, we're safe—"

"We're _not_ safe!" Kakashi snarls viciously. "Not all of us!" The rage in his voice is like nothing Sakura has ever heard before. It makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"What do you mean?" Yamato asks. "Kakashi, what's going on? Calm down, and explain this before you do anything you'll regret—"

"We're _not all safe!_ " Kakashi shouts again, and Sakura has never, _ever_ seen him lose control like this. Sai tenses at her side. Obito's face hardens.

"Kakashi, don't make me have to use these eyes," he warns. "You _know_ I don't like doing it, but I will drop you if you can't calm down, just _listen_ to us—"

"I'll _tear that man to pieces!"_ Kakashi howls, and he charges forwards blindly, lightning flickering at his fingertips. Sakura shrieks. Sai places himself in front of her, but before either of them can do anything Kakashi's teammates have already moved.

Obito intercepts Kakashi head on, slamming into him—but before he can use his Sharingan, Kakashi stabs at him with lightning. Obito phases through it, and as Kakashi is reeling from his failed attempt to hit Obito, Yamato's wood stretches and grows around him. Rin barrels after the tendrils. Even as Kakashi struggles against Yamato's wood she uses a growing log as a springboard, leaping into the air. She comes down on Kakashi's shoulders and jabs a glowing-green palm into his neck.

Kakashi goes limp in the wooden restraints. Rin lands on the floor in an expert crouch, and Obito returns to tangibility. Everything stills for a long moment, and then Yamato lets out a relieved breath.

"Everyone alright?" he calls, calling the wood tendrils back to his palm. Kakashi is deposited gently on the floor, and Rin heads straight to his boneless form. Obito wipes away a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"Ugh," he says. "That's always way too scary for my tastes."

Sakura blinks and stands. She pats Sai's shoulder in thanks as he steps aside to make more room for her.

"What was that?" Sakura asks nervously. Obito sighs again as he watches Yamato join Rin next to their fallen teammate.

"The Protector of a team has a lot of responsibility," he explains slowly. "If a teammate isn't safe, they can sometimes get a little out of control. The urge to protect, to help, is uncontrollable, and they lose themselves to their instincts and rage."

Sakura shivers.

"Is that what happened to him?" she asks. Obito nods.

"One team is hard enough for a protector, but Kakashi is linked to two teams now. To make things even worse, two of them are in unknown locations, and definitely not safe—but he's been fine until now. I wonder what happened to set him off like that."

Sakura winces.

"That might have been my fault," she explains, and shrinks in on herself when they all turn to look at her. "I dreamed of Sasuke last night. His father was abusing him. I shared the memories with my team so they would know what's happening. I had no idea it would do that to him!"

Rin shakes her head.

"You did the right thing," she tells Sakura seriously. "It would have been much harder to control him had you hid that information from us. He could have seriously injured someone."

"Never mind Kakashi's condition," Yamato interjects, "Sakura, did you just say Sasuke was being abused by his father? Just now, in your dream?" She nods at him silently, and prods her link to Sasuke worriedly. It does not move, and his walls do not bend.

Yamato swears.

"We can't sit around and wait for Kakashi to wake up," Yamato reminds them. "Sasuke needs us _now._ Rin, can you stay back here with Kakashi? Obito, you might want to as well, just in case. Sai… you okay to sit in the front with me?"

"Of course," Sai answers quickly. He makes his way to the front and disappears. Yamato glances back as he follows.

"Try and get him awake before we get there," he says. "We're six hours out if I obey the law, but I'm sure I can get it down to four and a half."

"As long as it doesn't kill us, go ahead," Obito tells him, and the Sealer disappears. The trailer's engine rumbles to life a moment later.

"Sakura," Obito says gently. She turns to look at him, and he smiles. "Kakashi will be fine, so you don't need to worry. We're headed straight for Sasuke, too—whatever you saw, we'll be able to save him from it in a matter of hours. Everything's going to be alright, I promise."

She can't argue with him—doesn't have the will to—so she settles herself tensely on the couch and resigns herself to the wait.

Four hours can't possibly go by fast enough.

* * *

Kakashi wakes up two hours into the drive.

"I'm sorry," he rasps. It's the first thing out of his mouth. Sakura hadn't even noticed he was awake, so she jumps at the sound of his voice and kneels at his side. Obito and Rin had started a card game, but they abandon it to join her, hovering above the Protector worriedly.

"Welcome back, idiot," Obito teases, but the jab lacks its usual bite. Kakashi doesn't take the bait, either, groaning instead.

"Did I hurt anyone?" is the second thing he asks, and he sounds so dejected that Sakura can't help it—she smacks him.

"Sakura!" Rin gasps out in shock, but Obito snorts, and Kakashi stares at her in surprise.

"Stop thinking like that this instant!" she demands. "It isn't your fault that you want to protect our teams, so stop apologizing like it is! It's… sort of sweet, actually, that you care that much."

Kakashi narrows his eye at her neutrally.

"I could have seriously injured one of you," he says. "I wasn't in control, I had no idea who any of you were. I could have killed you, and you just—"

"Do you really think your teammates are that weak?" Sakura snaps. "You may be their Protector, but they aren't incapable of protecting themselves! Even from you!"

Kakashi flounders. He stares up at her in half confusion and half amazement. Sakura shakes her head.

"It isn't a big deal," she says, softer this time. "Your teammates think the same. I know they do." Obito and Rin nod. "So stop moping about it and get up! I'm going to need your help. Sasuke will need your help. You're my Guardian, I can't do this without you."

The cabin is silence for a few seconds. Sakura is breathing hard, but she doesn't release Kakashi from her firm glare. After a moment, the silver-haired man sighs and grins.

"Well, when you put it that way, I can't argue, you wicked pink thing," he teases, and Rin whoops, diving in for a hug. Both of them yelp when Obito, spotting an opportunity, adds himself to the dog pile and crushes them both beneath his mass.

Sakura laughs at their protests and shouts of indignation, and reclaims her spot on the couch before anyone else can take it. She looks at the clock.

Two hours left.

The waiting is starting to get to her, but it's all she can do.

* * *

She knows they're in a neighborhood now, because Yamato has slowed down if only so that he doesn't crash into a house. She's shaky and fidgety—her limbs refused to obey her properly in her nervousness. Sasuke is so, so close.

She heads to the front and squeezes next to Sai. It's a tight fit, but she doesn't care. She's much more worried about scanning the houses and numbers, straining to identify the right one.

"Nice neighborhood," Rin comments dully from the doorway. "One where you wouldn't expect this kind of abuse from anyone. It's a good place to hide. And the houses are far enough apart that any noises could be passed off as roughhousing or a game."

Sakura doesn't want to hear those things, but she can't make herself stop listening. They're all tense—too tense, too anxious. They want this mission to go right. Sasuke's safety could depend on it.

"Turn right here," Sai directs through a clenched jaw, watching their GPS carefully. Yamato obeys, turns down a side street… and…

Sakura sees it. The house. The one that she had been shoved abruptly out of the night before. The one that she had slammed on it's door, even tried to plunge through the window to make sure her friend wasn't being killed.

Sasuke's house appears innocent—two stories, well tended flowerbeds in the front, a mowed lawn.

To her, there are invisible bloodstains all across the brick walls. It is anything but innocent.

 _Which one,_ Sai asks through their link, and she sends him back the image of the correct home. Sai's hand goes to his back, where his tanto rests as always, and for once none of them move to stop him.

They park down the street on the opposite side, out of sight of the front windows. For a few moments none of them move, and then Kakashi and Obito join Rin at the door.

"What's the plan?" Obito asks, but Sai is already moving.

"Go in, get our teammate, get out," Sai hisses, but there's bloodlust in his eyes that indicates that he's neglected to mention a few steps of his plan. He opens the door and darts towards Sasuke's house without warning. Kakashi swears, scrambling after him, but only Sakura is close enough to the door that she can instantly follow. She tears after her assassin teammate and prays that she can catch up before Sai does something he'll regret.

Sai's frustration and anger simmers red-hot through the link. Sakura pushes herself to move faster, but she's no match for Sai's speed. The assassin slams into the front door with one shoulder in what appears to be a well-practiced motion—the wood crumples inward with a harsh _crack._ Sakura winces.

Behind them, car doors slam, and Rin shouts after them, but they're far too late—Sai has already disappeared inside. Sakura leaps up the porch steps, takes a deep breath, and follows her teammate inside.

She only has a dim knowledge of the inside of Sasuke's home—the majority of her tour had been spent running away in terror, but she knows enough to follow the thumps and swearing that are emanating from the living room. She rounds the corner and freezes at the sight in front of her.

Sai has Sasuke's father on his knees, and a tanto at his throat. The man is white with fear. Even as Sakura watches, the muscles in Sai's arm tense—he's going to slit the man's throat.

Before she can even think about it she's surging forwards.

" _Don't,_ Sai!" she screams. Sai jerks, his hand slips—the tanto's tip jabs into the man's upper shoulder instead of slashing across his chin. The man wails anyway, but he still can't move, because Sai grunts and puts the tanto at his throat again.

"What do you mean, don't?" he asks her dangerously. "Sakura, you _know_ what this man did. He hurt Sasuke. He hurt our _team._ I'm going to kill him for that."

Sakura clenches her fists helplessly and takes a step closer. The man is sweating, glancing from her to Sai nervously. Blood drips from his shoulder sluggishly.

"I _know_ ," Sakura tells Sai. "I know _exactly_ what he's done, Sai. Better than anyone but Sasuke himself."

Sai snarls. It's not a pretty expression on him, and it's surprising that he can even make such an expressive face.

"If you claim to know, then why are you telling me to _wait_?" he asks incredulously. "This man deserves much worse than death!"

A spiral appears in the air behind him, and Obito emerges from Kamui, Sharingan almost glowing. He puts a hand on Sai's shoulder gently.

"It's alright, kid," he reassures. "Relax. We know what this man has done, and perhaps death is the right punishment." Sakura gasps, a protest rising to her lips, but Obito raises a hand to silence her before continuing. "Or perhaps it's not," he says. "It isn't our place to decide that. I think that honor belongs to his victim."

The man growls. Sai clenches his teeth and takes a deep breath.

"Fine," he relents. "I won't kill him. Yet."

He doesn't sheath his blade, but Sakura can't blame him for that. She could sense his honesty through their link anyway, so she knows he at least won't kill Sasuke's father the moment she steps away.

That man has done horrible, malicious things, but Sakura doesn't think Sasuke wants him dead.

Kakashi, Yamato, and Rin find them a few moments later. Kakashi seems a bit on edge, and glares at Sasuke's father fiercely, but he doesn't go out of control.

"Well done, Sai," Kakashi says. "Will you let us take care of him now?"

Sai narrows his eyes. He doesn't look happy about it, but he obeys reluctantly. Yamato is quick to restrain the man as Sai steps away.

"Rin, make sure he doesn't bleed out just yet," Kakashi orders coldly. "He deserves to suffer everything he put his son through tenfold, and he can't do that if he's dead."

Sakura shivers as Rin moves closer to work on the man's shoulder wound. Kakashi can be terrifying. Sometimes she forgets that.

Obito finally steps closer so that he can see Sasuke's father face-to-face instead of from behind. Sakura is surprised when he stiffens upon seeing the man's features, letting out a quiet curse.

"Uchiha Fugaku," he snarls. Kakashi's head jerks up, and Rin gasps in surprise. Yamato tilts his head.

"Did you say… Uchiha?" Rin asks.

"Sakura, you never told me the Sasuke we were going to rescue was _Uchiha_ Sasuke. I thought… well, Sasuke is a common enough name. I didn't think it would be this one," Obito growls. Sakura flinches at his tone.

"I didn't know his family name, he never told me," she tells him. "Why is that important?"

Obito sighs heavily and glares at Sasuke's father again.

"Of course you wouldn't know," he mutters. "It's not really something I like to share. Sakura, my name is _Uchiha_ Obito."

Sakura freezes. Sai's eyebrows shoot upwards.

"Does that mean… you and Sasuke are related?"

Obito's whole face twitches. Sakura realizes this is a sore subject for him, but it's too late to backtrack.

" _Technically,_ yes," Obito says. "Cousins—distant cousins, but cousins all the same. I was… practically kicked out of the family as a teenager, and have had basically no contact with any other Uchiha except… oh."

"Good oh or bad oh?" Kakashi asks warily. Obito takes a deep breath and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"The only other Uchiha I've had contact with for _years_ is Uchiha Itachi. Sasuke's older brother. I met him by chance on a mission once, and we made contact every few months. I'd forgotten that he even _had_ a younger brother in the first place. If I had known—"

"How would you have known?" Yamato interrupts. "If Itachi himself didn't know about this, what hope would you have had to find out? You've been forbidden from interacting with your own clan for a decade now."

"I've only met Sasuke once, when I was eleven," Obito mumbles. "At the family gathering, before everything went wrong… he was so small. So tiny. Not even one year old at the time."

Sasuke's father tilts his head back and laughs, long and hard. They all tense.

"Even at that young of an age he was still a murderer!" the man raves. "He's the reason why I don't have a wife! A little killer! He deserved every beating he got!"

They are silent in shock for a moment. "He's completely insane," Rin whispers. Obito grits his teeth.

Then he brings up his fist and hits Uchiha Fugaku so hard that a tooth goes skittering across the floor. "I may not know Uchiha Sasuke, but he's family. He's part of a team now," Obito snarls. "And I'll make you pay for the horrors you put this kid through."

Sasuke's father is out cold.

Obito… doesn't look so good. In the silence that falls after Fugaku falls unconscious Obito's panting is loud and almost hysterical. Rin goes for him immediately, wrapping her arms around him, and Obito melts under her touch.

Kakashi turns to Sakura and jerks his head upwards. He prods her through their link.

 _Take Sai. Find Sasuke._

She nods and motions for Sai to follow her as she creeps out of the room, leaving Obito and the rest to deal will Sasuke's father. Sai obliges her, and together they head up the stairs.

Sakura does know where Sasuke's room is, but she isn't sure why he hasn't shown himself yet. She knocks on the door politely and ignores Sai's eyeroll.

"Sasuke," she says loudly. "Sasuke, are you in there?"

There's no answer. She frowns and tries to open the door.

It's locked.

Sai shoulders her out of the way gently, but she can feel the worry that streaks through his mind. Naruto, who has been suspiciously (or even concerningly) silent in their link recently, prods at them curiously. As Sai pokes at the lock on the door with a set of wires he procured out of nowhere she takes a half-second to dump a large amount of her memories for Naruto to sort through.

His alarm, fear, and rage rise very quickly after that, but Sakura shoves him to the back of her mind as Sasuke's door swings open.

His room is dark. When she turns on the light, she nearly cries out, because for one horrible second Sasuke looks like a corpse.

He's sprawled out on his bed, shirtless, with the medical kit laying open and abandoned by his limp hand. His chest is completely covered in multicolored bruises. One of his hands—the one his father had stepped on—is mangled. Two fingers are crooked, definitely broken.

Sakura swallows a sob and dashes to his side, Sai is only a split second behind her. Together they kneel over his still form. Sakura searches for his pulse and is relieved to find one—it's sluggish, but still there.

"Sasuke," she says. "Sasuke, can you hear me?"

Sai inspects Sasuke's face, and then his eyes trail down the rest of his body. His eyes darken.

"He's only unconscious," he tells her. "But he also has two broken ribs. Add the broken fingers, and the pain would be enough for anyone to black out."

"Would you?" Sakura asks him dryly, tapping Sasuke's cheek gently. Sai shoots her a pointed look, and sends her a few carefully selected memories of his more dramatic wounds during his time serving Danzo. They are not pleasant, and much more painful than this.

"Any _normal_ person would black out from this, you meant," she grumbles. Now that she knows Sasuke isn't in any more danger it is a bit easier to breath. Now, he just needs to wake up.

Sai suddenly fidgets, and Sakura gasps as the movement jostles Sasuke's broken fingers. Sasuke lets out a moan of pain, and his brow furrows. Sai freezes. Sakura can't help the quiet curse that escapes her lips.

"...fath...er," Sasuke mumbles, and his entire body shudders. "Don'... please—"

Sai stiffens, and Sakura bites her lip.

"Should've killed that man," Sai spits venomously.

"Sasuke," Sakura tries, and puts a hand on his chest where the bruises seem less prominent. "Sasuke, can you hear me? Wake up!"

Sasuke doesn't open his eyes. Sakura swallows, and feels the beginnings of tears start to form in her eyes. Sasuke isn't dead, but he isn't safe, either. She just wants him to be _okay._

"Ah… Sakura," Sai says. Sakura ignores him.

"Sasuke! I kept my promise! You have to keep yours now! You said you'd come with us!" she cries, louder this time. Sai reaches out and grabs her free arm before she can say anything else.

" _Sakura,_ " the assassin says urgently. "Look!"

She tears her gaze away from Sasuke's face and to where Sai is pointing—at her own hand, on Sasuke's chest.

It's glowing a beautiful emerald green.

"What… what is this?" Sakura asks, and lifts her hand—the green light follows. It takes a second, but she realizes that it's _her. She's_ creating the light. But what is it doing? What does it mean?

She remembers only a moment later—she has a quick memory of Rin, smiling and lifting a hand to Obito's temple, hands glowing. Obito's headache had subsided.

"It's _healing_ power," she gasps aloud. Sai blinks.

"Use it, then," he tells her.

Sakura doesn't need to be told twice.

She lifts her second hand and concentrates. More green light sputters to life in her palm. She closes her eyes when she presses them against Sasuke's chest. Energy flows through her veins.

After a moment, Sai's hand presses against her shoulder.

"Look," he says softly. She opens her eyes, and gasps in amazement.

Before her very eyes, bruises and scrapes fade from Sasuke's skin. Wherever her hands pass the divots and cuts disappear. Under her fingers his broken ribs straighten, knitting themselves firmly back together, and when she turns to his fingers they do the same.

Sakura sets her jaw, focuses her energy, and heals her teammate, inch by inch.

When she finishes, she slumps, exhausted from the tremendous amount of energy she's expended. Sai grabs her to keep her from falling over.

She swallows.

"Sasuke," she whispers.

Sasuke's eyelids flicker, and then they open. Two Sharingan meet her gaze.

"You… kept your promise," Sasuke whispers to her, hoarse and shaky, and she reaches out to grab his hand. Their fingers thread together. She smiles at Sasuke brightly.

Another piece clicks into place. Sasuke is the next missing link found, another piece of her soul that has returned. Sai is firm and steady behind her, Sasuke is healing and beautiful in front of her—it's so close to being everything she's ever wanted.

However, there is still one piece missing, and she meets both of their eyes. They nod at her simultaneously—they already know exactly what she's thinking.

Three out of four isn't bad, but it is far from perfect.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! More stuff is coming! Follow me on tumblr or instagram if you're interested, same username :)**

 **Shoutout to elliiiiiiiexp for being encouraging and making me happy and excited to work on this. Thank you girl! You're the best!**


	9. Turn of the Stairs

Sasuke doesn't like to be touched.

Sakura knows this, and she knows why, too. It isn't hard to understand why he flinches away every time someone gets too close.

It hurts her. She feels a pang of sadness every time his mind flares up in panic. He's most nervous around Yamato and Kakashi—Obito is family, so Sasuke is slightly more tolerant of him than the others—and he isn't afraid of Rin at all.

The older team gives Sasuke plenty of space, but Sakura and Sai can't afford to do the same. They alone can feel how fragile Sasuke is, how close he is to shattering. Kakashi can feel it, too, but Sasuke still doesn't trust him as much as he does his other teammates.

Sasuke ordinarily positions himself on the far end of the couch. He's done the same today, but his mind is a bit… unsteady. His thoughts spiral and twist unpleasantly. Sakura only catches fragments of his depression as she presses another set of cards down on the table, and Obito swears colorfully as he counts up her points. Kakashi rolls his eye at the Pathfinder.

"Your turn, Sai," Kakashi says, but Sai pauses. His mind brushes carefully against Sakura's, and she sighs at his gentle prod.

"You know what, you're right," she murmurs to him. Obito tilts his head, and Kakashi shoots them a knowing look. "We might have to postpone the game for a few minutes. Is that alright?" she asks.

Obito eyes widen in understanding as he glances towards his cousin, and then he shrugs.

"I don't mind," he answers. "You're sparing me from getting destroyed, anyway."

"I'll still beat you, Obito, don't worry about that," Kakashi points out, laying down his own set of cards. Obito glances at it and wrinkles his nose.

"That's because you cheat, moron," he gripes, but Kakashi ignores him.

Sakura and Sai abandon their cards and make their way over to the couch. Sasuke sees them coming, but he doesn't say anything until they're close.

"What are you doing?" he asks. There's a slightly bitter tone to his voice, and Sakura exchanges a worried look with Sai.

"Don't you know what we're doing?" she asks him. "You're connected to us too, you know."

He frowns at her, and she feels his mind press hesitantly towards theirs.

"I don't need your pity," he growls, but it's half-hearted. Sakura rolls her eyes and shoves him over (gently and slowly, mind you, so he has plenty of time to move away if he wants). She worms her way next to him and sighs at his warmth. Sai has taken Sasuke's opposite side, and they sandwich him between them contentedly.

Sasuke is tense at first, as if he's afraid they're going to turn on him at any second. Eventually his mind calms, and his stiff muscles relax.

"Feeling better, Sasuke?" she asks him, only a little smug. He doesn't answer, but he shoves a hasty sense of _reliefcomfortfinallysafe_ that makes her grin. Through their link, Naruto shoves his mind close, and it's _almost_ perfect.

Almost.

After a few minutes, the door leading to the front of the trailer opens and Yamato strides through, stifling a yawn—that must mean Rin is driving. Sasuke tenses again as he passes, and Sai grabs his wrist comfortingly. Sasuke doesn't protest.

"Hello, everyone," Yamato calls. He sounds exhausted—he's just ended a double shift of driving. "It's been a few hours. Sakura, have you had any luck locating your last teammate?"

Sakura frowns, and her mood darkens immediately. Her teammates, both present and not, grab her and shove at her mind until her guilt dissipates.

"No," she says worriedly. "I have no idea. Neither does Naruto himself. We're completely in the dark." She breathes deeply to contain her frustration and manages to sigh instead of scream. Yamato pats her on the shoulder in sympathy.

"Sakura, we'll find him," Kakashi contributes from the table. "We have good people working to locate him, I promise. They'll be able to tell us where he is soon."

Kakashi himself has been antsy about that. Sakura can feel he wants to do more, to go ahead and search himself, but the Guardian and Protector is torn between finding one and protecting six. His mind sparks with nervous energy, but he shows no sign of his nervousness outwardly.

They've got no choice but to stay put until someone finds something about Naruto, and until then, they are helpless to do anything but wait.

* * *

" _Do you think they'll like me?" Naruto asks her worriedly. "I haven't… haven't had any friends but you for a long time. I know we're connected and everything but what if they don't want to be around me?" He's sitting cross-legged on the floor, hands curled into fists on his knees. Sakura smiles at him, plopping down at his side._

" _They'll like you for certain, Naruto," she tells him easily, and lets the truth ring through her voice. "They already do. You won't have to worry about that at all."_

 _Naruto sighs and returns her smile with one of his own, but it's weak_ — _lacking the usual optimism. He shifts, the chain around his ankle clanks against the stone floor._

" _What will you do once you get here?" he asks. "The fortress is huge, you know. I'll be surprised if you can even find me, much less get me out of here." Sakura glares at him._

" _If you say that one more time I'll make you regret it the moment I arrive," she snaps. "Have a little faith in your teammates, alright? We aren't just sitting around. We're training, and getting ready to fight for you."_

 _Naruto winces._

" _That's supposed to be my job, though!" he points out angrily. "I'm the Protector, right? I'm supposed to be keeping you safe, not the other way around!"_

 _She sighs again._

" _Listen, I know how you feel," she tells him. "I saw how horrible it was for Kakashi, and I can't imagine how bad it is for you to be stuck in here for so long."_

 _He's gotten fairly good at hiding his more volatile emotions deep within his mind, so they're hard to sense. He's doing it on purpose, too_ — _he doesn't want them to feel how much pain he's really in. It can't be healthy, but Sakura can't bring herself to mention it._

" _You guys… are really keeping me sane around here recently, ya know," Naruto suddenly says quietly, so seriously for him that Sakura's eyes widen. "The tests have gotten worse. I have to hide inside my mind near your guy's thoughts to stop myself from going crazy."_

 _She wants to hug him so desperately._

" _I swear to you everything will be over soon," she promises. "Just wait a little longer, I'm so sorry, Naruto."_

 _He grins at her wearily._

" _Oh, I don't mind waiting, Sakura," he tells her honestly. "I've been waiting for you for a while, and I'd wait for you forever if I had too. Time is a small price to pay for a family!"_

 _She swallows down the lump in her throat and prays to anyone listening that they'll find Naruto soon._

* * *

After a week of waiting and travelling, Sasuke has finally become comfortable enough around the older team that he stops tensing every time anyone comes close. He's improved by leaps and bounds in such a short while—Obito has promised to take him to see Itachi sometime in the near future, and that knowledge has done wonders for Sasuke's health.

Sharingan training occurs every evening on the couch. Obito is a good teacher. He's patient and willing to explain anything. Sakura likes to watch them, enjoys the swirling tomoe patterns that their eyes shift into. She gets off of a driving shift with Yamato just in time to watch the end of their practice one evening.

They sit facing each other, eyes blood-red and whorling. They don't notice her when she sits down on the lower bunk bed, shoving Sai's legs aside (he'd claimed it earlier for his nap) to make room for herself. The assassin grunts in protest but does end up rolling over. The trailer is starting to get a bit cramped, but it's better than nothing.

Every time the Uchihas train it's like their minds get sucked up into another universe. There's something unearthly about the Pathfinder power. Today, Sasuke looks like he's straining to keep up with… whatever they're doing—Sharingan strength training, maybe? Sakura still isn't entirely sure. His face is pinched, and he's sweating. Obito, on the other hand, looks completely in control, staring at Sasuke levelly.

They go for three more minutes like that. By the end, Sasuke is panting, and he breaks eye contact first, yanking his gaze away from his older cousin's. Obito's Sharingan fade and he smiles.

"Nice job!" he compliments. "That was two minutes longer than last time. I'm impressed, Sasuke."

Sasuke "hn's, but he looks pleased. The jolt of pride that runs through their link is like a shot of adrenaline. She grins at the sensation.

"Again?" Sasuke asks, but Obito waves his hand.

"I don't think so," he replies. "Your Sharingan control gets better every single time we practice, and you're improving at a faster rate than anyone I've ever met. You're good, baby cousin, but you're still young, and you're not strong yet. We'll rest for a bit."

Sasuke glares at him at "baby cousin". Obito grins at his death stare and lifts a hand to ruffle Sasuke's hair—

Sasuke freezes. Obito sees it, and stops with his hand a mere inch away from Sasuke's head.

Sasuke's eyes are wide, and Sakura blinks as his mind struggles against panic for a few seconds before he manages to get himself under control.

"Sorry," Obito apologizes, lowering his hand, but Sasuke jerks forwards seemingly involuntarily, staring at his cousin with a mixture of longing and hesitation on his face. Obito frowns.

"It's… it's fine," Sasuke says quietly. "It's fine, you can… you can do that if you want."

Obito pauses, and slowly brings his hand down, ruffling Sasuke's hair gently. Sasuke leans into the touch silently, and then Obito pulls back.

"Okay?" he asks, watching his younger relative in concern. Sasuke's eyes are wide, and he tilts his head, staring at Obito with an expression of surprise and curiosity.

"That… was fine," Sasuke says slowly. "You could… you could do it again, if you want?"

Obito's grin is brighter than the sun.

"Of course, Sasuke!" he says cheerily, lifting his hand to repeat the movement. Sasuke only allows this one for a few moments before he pulls away and scowls at Obito halfheartedly.

"I didn't mean right now, you know," he grunts, but he's failed to completely hide his pleased expression, and his pleasure resonates through the link.

Sakura hides her grin behind her hand.

Sasuke is still nervous around Kakashi and Yamato, but this is progress, and Sakura can't be happier.

* * *

 _Remember that thing you came to me about one day when we were little_

The text is vague and slightly odd, but as Sakura reads it her heart stutters in her chest. With trembling fingers she unlocks her phone to confirm the sender.

It's Shikamaru.

" _I just wanted to ask you if… if you've heard anything about people conducting illegal experiments recently. Experiments on people,"_ she remembers asking him, and he'd nodded in answer—but that had been years ago, when Sakura had first started having the dreams. For Shikamaru to be able to remember that encounter, and text her about it now (because what else could he be texting her about?) is incredible.

She swallows nervously and taps out her answer.

 _Yes_

It doesn't take him long to respond.

 _I have news. Human experimentation being done at approx. coordinates 19N 155W. Not much known yet, but experimentation has been confirmed. First contact has not yet been made_

She reads the text four times over and suddenly can't breath.

Sasuke pokes his head up from over the end of the couch, staring at her in alarm.

"Sakura, are you alright?" he asks, and she can only gape at him soundlessly. He sends her a concerned look and activates his Sharingan, and at the same time his mind bumps against hers.

 _Sakura?_ he questions mentally. She bites her lip and clenches her fists to stop them from shaking.

When she meets his eyes, she must look either terrified or excited, because he blinks at her in concern. She takes a deep breath.

"I have a lead," she tells him breathlessly. For a moment he doesn't understand, so she opens her mouth again to clarify. "I have a lead on _Naruto_."

He stiffens. From across the room, the ruckus Yamato and Kakashi had been making goes silent. From his perch near the TV Sai whips around to stare at her in surprise.

"Did you just say you have a lead on Naruto, Sakura?" Kakashi asks, eye narrowing. "What do you mean?"

Sakura blushes, but she explains Shikamaru's sudden information. When she finishes Yamato tilts his head.

"This Shikamaru… what's his family name?" the Sealer asks.

"Uh, Nara. Nara Shikamaru," Sakura answers. Kakashi makes a noise of surprise.

"Shikaku's boy. Naturally," Kakashi says to Yamato. "Who else would know information like that?" Sakura feels horribly out of the loop, but Kakashi senses her confusion. "Nara Shikaku, Shikamaru's father, is an extremely intelligent and important member of our Konoha organization," he tells them. "If Shikamaru is anything like his father I'm not surprised he has access to this sort of information. What, exactly, did he tell you?"

"Coordinates," Sakura replies. "Nineteen North, one hundred and fifty-five West. He says first contact hasn't been made yet, but human experimentation has been confirmed."

"Those coordinates sound familiar to you?" Kakashi asks Yamato, who shakes his head. Kakashi sighs. "I'm getting Obito and Rin. Everyone… stock up on weaponry or anything else you might need, understand?" He narrows his eye as he stands. "There's a possibility we won't find anything… but if there is even a chance that our final teammate is there we won't hold back. Understood?"

"Understood!" Sakura confirms determinedly, and hears her teammates do the same. Their surging hope and worry make Naruto poke at them in concern, and Sakura smiles as Sasuke taps at him reassuringly in response.

 _We're coming for you,_ the Pathfinder says, and Naruto's surprise and aching relief are almost enough to make her burst into tears.

* * *

"For the last time, you are _not_ coming with me! It's too dangerous, who knows what we'll find once we get there! I need to go scout it out alone!" Obito shouts, and the trailer dissolves into chaos.

Everyone is shouting. Kakashi looks furious, and Yamato is trying to hold the Protector back but Kakashi is still yelling. Sai snarls in protest, Rin raises her voice in a futile attempt to calm the storm. Obito is standing in the middle of their trailer with his arms crossed, and even Sakura can't help but cry out in frustration and annoyance at Obito's declaration.

She notices far too late that Sasuke has suddenly turned pale, shrinking away from them nervously and body tensing like he's getting ready to run. She snaps her jaw shut and spins, clapping her hand over Sai's mouth. When he glares at her, she elbows him hard in the ribs and jerks her head in Sasuke's direction meaningfully. He freezes when he sees the horrified look on their Pathfinder's face, and the way he's suddenly beginning to shiver.

"Crap," Sakura hisses, and ignores the four still arguing adults in favor of hurrying to Sasuke's side. He flinches away when she gets too close, and a ragged gasp escapes his lips. When he looks up at her his eyes are glazed over—they stare right past her as if they're seeing something else. Some _one_ else.

"Oh no, Sasuke," she whispers, and reaches out to take his hand gently. He tears away from the touch as if burned.

"I didn't… didn't mean to, please—" he starts, and Sakura feels a surge of anger towards the evil man who had hurt him badly enough to cause something like this. Obito had used Kamui to take Sasuke's father to Konoha for imprisonment, and she hopes he's getting exactly what he deserves there.

"He's not here, Sasuke," she says, and reaches out again to cradle his face with her hands. He jumps at the touch but doesn't pull away this time. Uncontrollable tremors rock his body. "He isn't here," Sakura repeats firmly. "But Sai and I are, and we won't let anything bad happen to you. Hey, hey, can you hear me? It's alright, I swear."

Sasuke shudders and for a few seconds, he doesn't make a sound. Then he swallows, and his eyes refocus until they finally lock onto Sakura. He makes a small, desperate whine of pain.

"Sakura… Sai—" he starts, and then snaps his mouth closed. Sakura feels horror and frustration well up inside him—anger at being so weak, unable to control himself even in a situation as simple as this. His self-loathing returns, and Sakura resists the urge to shake some sense him, pressing closer instead for comfort.

It isn't his fault. He's done nothing wrong. He shouldn't be feeling such horrible things.

Sai joins them, and together they gently pull Sasuke towards the couch. Sasuke is still trembling, but he doesn't resist them, and when they take up vigil on his either side like powerful guards he allows them to hide him from sight.

The older team has finally realized what's going on. Obito swears softly. Yamato and Kakashi are pale, and Rin looks absolutely horrified.

"The shouting," she whispers. "It was… I didn't realize…"

"We apologize," Kakashi says solemnly. "That was unthoughtful of us. We shouldn't have been arguing about something like that in the first place."

Obito looks devastated. He takes a step forwards, but Sakura and Sai glare at him until he stops moving and stares at them helplessly.

"I… I had no idea," he breathes. "Sasuke, I'm… I'm so _sorry_ —"

"Obito," Sasuke croaks, and everyone freezes as Sasuke sits up straight. He doesn't look too good, but at least he's moving. "It's… fine. I'm fine. But can we _please_ just go find Naruto?"

Obito looks torn. Sakura can tell he wants to stay and make up for their mistake, but he's the only one who can safely scout out their coordinates with Kamui. He takes a breath.

"I'll go. _Alone,_ " he stresses when Kakashi tries to step forwards again. "I know you all want to come, but we're going in completely blind. If I'm not back in twenty four hours, assume the worst."

His Sharingan swirls, and he offers one last weak smile at his younger cousin before he whirls away.

The waiting game begins anew. Naruto is close. Sakura knows it.

But he is also very, very far away.

She curls into Sasuke's side and resigns herself to the anxious ticking of the clock.

* * *

Only three hours have passed before Obito returns, and when he spirals into existence he is completely unharmed. Sakura, Sai, and Sasuke haven't moved from the couch, but the moment Obito reappears they snap to attention.

"Welcome back," Sai says, but it's tense. Obito lifts his head.

"I found him," he announces. They freeze.

"You're certain?" Yamato asks.

"It's definitely what we're looking for," the Pathfinder confirms. "Even if I wasn't sure, Genma is. They beat us there."

"Genma?" Rin says, and then laughs. "I should have known they'd send someone like him in." Obito turns and looks at Kakashi—Sakura is surprised to see a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"The rest of Genma's team are there as well," he says, far too smugly for that to be a good thing. Kakashi groans.

"Don't tell me—" he begins, but Obito cuts him off.

"Oh, yes," he interrupts, smirking. "Your Eternal Rival is there too, don't worry."

Kakashi makes a strangled sound and slams his head into the table. Rin snorts. Yamato rolls his eyes.

"They've set up a small base just outside the perimeter of the building we're headed for," Obito explains quickly, shifting back to mission mode. "It was pure luck that I ran into them—or maybe Sharingan, I don't know—regardless, they're ready to assist us. Konoha sent them."

"Alright," Kakashi says. "Obito, how many of us can you transport? Have you gotten up to five people yet?"

Obito narrows his eyes thoughtfully, and his Sharingan shifts into its second form.

"I'm pretty confident I could do five, but I would be out of commission if I did," he answers. "However…" He turns and looks at Sasuke. "Maybe if Sasuke helps me we can bump it up to seven _and_ keep me from passing out."

Sasuke blinks and pulls away from Sakura and Sai for a moment. He seems completely recovered from his earlier flashback.

"What do you mean?" he asks. "I can't use Kamui yet, remember?"

"I know, don't worry," Obito says. "But you're a Pathfinder too. If we work together with our Sharingan, I can do the heavy lifting while you help me direct our combined energy into the Kamui. That should be enough to get everyone there."

Sasuke considers it for a moment, and then nods quickly. His Sharingan spin to life.

"Let's do it," he says determinedly. Obito grins at him.

"Everyone ready?" he asks. "Get closer, now."

They obey, grabbing their prepared bags and packs full of equipment as they go. They gather around the two Uchiha, and Sakura sucks in a breath as she senses the power swelling between them.

"Ready, Sasuke?"

"Ready."

Red eyes flare, and Sakura closes her eyes as the power from the her teammate and Obito rises and whips them into the vortex.

* * *

The instant they land, Kakashi is bowled over by blur of green spandex.

"My Eternal Rival!" someone shouts. "I am overjoyed to see you!"

"Mfhroijjfkji," Kakashi garbles, because the over-enthusiastic man is quite literally sitting on him.

"Hey, Gai," Obito says, grinning—he's sweating hard and swaying just a little, but Rin is already supporting him. "It's good to see you."

Next to Sakura, Sasuke stumbles when he tries to take a step forwards and looks surprised that he can barely take a step without his legs violently trembling. The Uchiha are weak, but at least they aren't unconscious. Sakura counts that as a win. She grabs her Pathfinder and calls green energy to her hands, feeding it gently into his system to help him recover.

They're in the middle of a small clearing. Just through the undergrowth she can see a massive building rising into the air—a laboratory.

 _Naruto,_ she thinks, and hopes that they're in the right place. She reaches out to the blond, but for some reason, his mind is foggy and sluggish—she can't quite reach his thoughts, no matter how hard she presses. She frowns in concern—is he drugged again? Or is it something worse this time?

"Oi, Gai, get over here," someone calls—a man with long brown hair, a bandanna, and a metal needle trapped between his teeth. A senbon, Sakura remembers it's called. "We don't have very much time before Ebisu shuts down their security system, and we need to get ready!"

Gai releases Kakashi, who coughs and rises to his feet. Rin, however, looks concerned.

"Ebisu's already going for the security?" she asks. "What exactly are your orders here, Genma? We're here to rescue a teammate, and if you have an alternative mission we might not be of much help to each other."

Genma tilts his head and moves the senbon to the other side of his mouth.

"We've been instructed to destroy this installation, and take Orochimaru captive if possible," Genma tells them. "For any other experiments or personnel inside, we have been given jurisdiction of whether or not to take them alive."

Sakura swallows nervously at his grim tone. Rin frowns.

"Help us recover our missing teammate and we'll help you complete your objective," she reasons, and Genma glances at Gai, who gives them a thumbs up.

"We would be happy to assist you!" he booms. Kakashi sighs.

Without warning something shifts behind them. Sai moves before Sakura has even fully registered it, shoving both her and Sasuke behind him as he draws his tanto and lunges. There is a clash of metal.

"Sai, stand down!" Obito barks. Yamato surges forwards, wood beginning to sprout from his palm, but before anyone else can intervene Sai has already stepped back into a wary stance, shielding his teammates with his body.

Another man has joined them in the clearing, silent as a shadow. There's a sword in his hands, and scars stretching around his face.

"You're fast, kid," he says to Sai grimly. "I'm impressed."

"Welcome back, Raidou," Genma says. "No worries, kiddies, he's with us. My fourth teammate."

Raidou sheaths his sword across his back and offers them an apologetic look.

"Sorry," he says. "Didn't mean to startle you. Genma, Gai—Ebisu is nearly finished. He's waiting for a green light. Is team Minato coming with us?"

"Team Minato?" Sakura repeats softly in confusion.

"That's us. We'll come," Kakashi answers them both, glancing at his adult teammates. "It's Orochimaru who runs this place. We can't afford to hold back if we're going to take him down. And the more eyes we have searching for our teammate, the better."

"The same formation as we used to take, then?" Rin asks, and her eyes gleam with excitement. "It's been awhile since our teams have worked together. Orochimaru won't even see us coming."

Genma chuckles and takes the senbon out of his mouth. Obito smirks. Kakashi wanders his way over to Gai and raises a fist in resignation—Gai fistbumps him excitedly.

"What do you want us to do?" Sakura asks, and freezes as every eye snaps to the three of them.

"It's too dangerous for you to come with us," Raidou grunts immediately. Sasuke stiffens behind her side, and Sai frowns in offense.

"Our teammate is down there," Sasuke begins, and his eyes flare red for a moment. Obito steps closer to him and ruffles his hair.

"We know, Sasuke," he says. "Believe me, I understand. We all do. But we can't take you into the building with us. You aren't trained for situations like this, and you're too inexperienced with your powers to help. I know you want to find Naruto, but I need you to leave it to us, alright?"

Sai steps forwards.

"I have more than enough training to handle myself—" he starts, but Yamato cuts him off.

"Sai, we know. You should stay to defend your teammates in case Orochimaru sends someone out here, understand?" Sai looks like he's about to argue more until Sakura jabs him mentally.

 _Once they leave we can go in after,_ she tells them. _We need to find Naruto as quickly as possible._

They agree with her forcefully. Sakura schools a downcast but resigned expression on her face and puts one hand on each of her teammate's shoulders.

"Guys, it's okay," she says slowly. "They're right, you know. Sasuke and I can't fight, and what if something happens? You both know I want to save Naruto, too, but this… might be too much for us."

Sasuke hisses in displeasure and crosses his arms defensively. Sai sheaths his tanto.

"You're right," he agrees reluctantly. "We'll stay."

Raidou nods in approval, and Obito flashes them an apologetic smile.

"We'll find Naruto, guys. I swear to you. We've got this, there's no need to worry at all."

 _We'll find him ourselves,_ Sasuke thinks petulantly—a bit too loud, because Kakashi's visible eyebrow shoots upwards. Sakura winces inwardly, but their Guardian doesn't say a word.

Genma suddenly tilts his head.

"Ebisu is about to kill their security, everyone ready? Alright… three, two, one—scatter!"

There is a blur of motion as the two teams separate, whizzing into the trees and towards the laboratory. Sakura breaths a sigh of relief—

Then she realizes that Kakashi hadn't moved, and is staring at them all suspiciously. Her breath freezes in her lungs, and she almost lets out a tiny squeak of dismay, because there's _no way_ he doesn't know what they're planning. He's linked to them, too, after all—it had been stupid to try and hide it from him in the first place. Sasuke and Sai tense at her sides.

"Mmm… you agreed to that a bit too quickly, I think," Kakashi muses. "The others were convinced, but I would have dragged it out a bit more, and reacted a bit stronger once you decided to 'not' go."

Sakura flushes guiltily. There's no use in trying to hide it at this point. Kakashi knows. His mind sweeps over them, large and powerful.

"However," their Guardian continues, "I'm not going to be the one to stop you. If I were you I'd be doing everything in my power to get to my teammate. I'm sure Gai feels the same way." He turns and begins to walk into the shadows, turning his head to talk as he disappears. "Just don't do anything too idiotic. We'll do our best to protect you once you show up. Obito, Rin, and Yamato won't be happy, but they'll have to deal with it. Find Naruto and get out of there, you understand? Don't stay any longer than you need to."

With that, he is gone, and there is nothing left behind to signify that any of the older teams had even been there at all.

Sasuke lets out a tiny chuckle. She's never heard him make that sound before, and it makes her smile.

"Well? We can't just sit here and let other people help _our_ teammate," the Pathfinder says. "Shall we?"

Sakura grins, and Sai unsheathes his blade again.

"We shall," Sakura replies determinedly.

A tremor suddenly runs through the very earth as they step forwards. Lightning flickers through the sky.

"They've already started their attack?" Sakura mutters, and clenches her fists. This is, most likely, one of the stupidest things she's ever done, but with Sai and Sasuke behind her, and Naruto somewhere in front, she can't find it in herself to stop and think about how dangerous this is. There's no time for that.

They break into a light jog wordlessly a few moments later. Sakura keeps a close eye on Sasuke—he still isn't quite fully recovered, but his stamina is still impressive. Sai is obviously reigning in his speed, but she senses no annoyance from him as a result. Their minds, for a brief instant, are locked on a single subject: Naruto.

They reach the edge of the trees. There is a yard surrounding the large building, empty and open without any cover. Luckily (if the scorch marks are of any indication), the older teams have already cleared this area. Two guards are sprawled motionless in the dirt next to their shattered weapons—dead or unconscious, Sakura isn't sure—and there's a large hole punched in the side of the building leading to the inside.

She takes a breath.

"There's our way in," Sasuke whispers needlessly, because they already knew he was thinking that from the link. "There won't be any guards since the others already came through."

Sakura glances at Sai. He's the one with all the experience in this area. He's scanning their surroundings diligently, one hand at his belt and another on his tanto.

"There doesn't seem to be any other guards nearby," he reports. "Let's go, but be careful."

She lets him lead the way, and they creep out into the open. No one jumps out to stab them, or to sound the alarm. She sighs in relief.

 _NO!_

They all freeze at the screamed objection that slams into their link without warning.

 _No, NO, no stop_ — _!_

It's Naruto, and he sounds very, _very_ afraid.

Sakura dives for his mind immediately, stretches out to ask what's wrong, but she's shoved away forcefully. Their link trembles unsteadily.

 _Get away! You have to get away, he's_ — _he knows you're here, he used my mind, our link, he knows where you are_ — _!_

They all stagger, wincing at the onslaught of thought. Sakura squeezes her eyes shut.

 _Naruto, please, we don't understand_ — she tries. He shoves her away again.

 _Please, pleasepleaseplease you can't stay. Leave me. LEAVE ME! Run, run, runrunrunRUNRUN_ — _!_

"We can't leave him!" Sakura cries out loud in instant denial. Sasuke and Sai voice their agreement. "I don't care who knows we're here! We have to go in there, and we're bringing him home!"

"Well, child, I'm afraid I might have a problem with that," a voice says from behind them, grating and sinister. A shiver crawls up Sakura's spine. Before she can even turn, a _wave_ of killing intent slams into her, and she almost doubles over, resisting the urge to fall to her knees in shock. Her teammates are in no better shape—Sasuke crumples, eyes going wide and blood draining from his face. Sai is fighting it, but even he is trembling just a little.

Through sheer luck, Sakura manages to turn her head to see their attacker.

Pale skin—paler than Sai's, even—long black hair, gleaming gold eyes, and a cruel smile greet them. Sakura has only seen him a few times, but every time she has he's been hurting Naruto. Hurting her teammate. Now she has a name to go with the face.

Orochimaru.

"Naruto isn't going anywhere," Orochimaru rasps. "In fact, you're going to be joining him. Won't that be fun?"

The man walks towards them, and Sakura is _frozen._ She can't move a muscle. Sai grunts, but he's immobilized as well. Sasuke's eyes flicker as if he's trying to activate Sharingan, but he can't quite get them to appear under the crushing force of Orochimaru's power.

They are trapped in the middle of a yard—there is no cover, no place to hide, the building is still too far away and the evil scientist is between them and the forest. The other teams are nowhere in sight.

Naruto's torturer is headed straight for them, and they are paralyzed and alone and helpless.

 _RUN!_ Naruto screams, but they can only watch in horror as their doom approaches.

Naruto's warning has come far too late.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm not apologizing.**

 **The coordinates Shikamaru gives them are Hawaii in real life, so... do what you will with that information, I dunno why I picked it XD**


	10. Kyuubi

Orochimaru's fingers curl around Sasuke's face like creeping vines. The Uchiha's eyes sputter, flash red, but he can't keep them that way. The bolt of panic that slashes through his train of thoughts at the touch makes Sakura wince.

"Ah, Sharingan," Orochimaru purrs. "Such a beautiful gift, child… one I wish I had for myself, you see. You could be of great use to me." Sakura doesn't understand—doesn't _want_ to understand, but she knows enough to recognize the sinister undertones in the man's voice. Whatever he's planning, it won't end well for her teammate.

"Let… let go of him," Sai manages to force out, voice just a bit unsteady. Orochimaru tilts his head to look at the assassin without letting go of Sasuke, who is still paralyzed in his hold.

"You've a long ways to go before you can even dream of standing when I do not want you to, boy," he hisses, suddenly vicious, and Sai is forced to his knees from the power of the redoubled killing intent that washes over them. Orochimaru continues. "You're an interesting one—you've felt presences such as mine all your life, but now your teammates are holding you back. Would this have even slowed you down a mere month ago, child? Their emotions make you _weak."_

Sai lets out a strangled noise, tries to stand, but Orochimaru doesn't even bother to watch him. Instead he turns his gaze to Sakura.

"And you," he muses. "You, the pink nobody, with barely any background or training at all. What do you seek to accomplish by coming here? Is it strength? Your teammate? I can provide both. I'm surprised you've even made it this far, but rest assured you won't have to struggle much longer. You're all coming with me."

He drags Sasuke closer with one hand, and Sasuke's limbs lock in fear—his breath hitches in his throat, and he calls out desperately through their link—

 _no no please stop not again NOT AGAIN I CAN'T LET ME GO PLEASE_ — _!_

A bolt of light flashes through the sky, accompanied by the sound of a thousand chirping birds.

Kakashi throws himself at Orochimaru like a maelstrom, lightning shrieking for blood in his palm. Bolts of electricity split the air and make Sakura's hair stand on end. Orochimaru hisses, twisting away from the blow. He's forced to drop Sasuke in the process.

"If it isn't the little Hatake brat," the scientist snarls. "One would think you'd learned your lesson after what happened last time we fought."

Kakashi shifts, positioning himself so that he's between Orochimaru and the rest of his team. "I'm not the same person I was last time we fought, Orochimaru. This won't end like it did before," he growls. Tiny flickers of lightning skitter across his knuckles.

Orochimaru lets out a hoarse laugh. "You think you can stop me from taking what I want? You aren't strong enough, and we both know it."

Kakashi clenches his fists, and his shoulders tense. Sakura feels a ripple of uncertainty roll through their bond before Kakashi can suppress it.

Their Guardian isn't sure if he can win this fight.

The aggressive atmosphere of the air thickens, until Sakura can hardly breath. Sasuke shrinks back until he's right next to her, and Sai steps in front of them, drawing his tanto with hands that tremble as they clench the hilt of the weapon.

"Stay behind me," Kakashi instructs. He pulls a kunai from his thigh-holster. "Get inside, understand? I'll hold him here for as long as I can."

He charges towards their opponent in a blur of motion. Before Sakura can even try to follow the fight, Sai grabs her by the arm.

"Hurry!" he whispers, and drags her away—she grabs Sasuke's hand and tugs him along towards the crumbling entrance.

Behind them Kakashi lets out a shout. An earth wall rises between them and the battle, casting a long shadow across the earth as Sakura scrambles through the hole and enters the building.

The moment they step away from the hole the sound of the battle raging outside is muffled. It's so eerie that Sakura nearly trips in surprise, but Sasuke is behind her and he catches her before she does.

"Don't stop!" he pants, hauling her to her feet. Their footsteps echo off of the empty hallway. Fluorescent lights flicker on the ceiling.

They turn a corner, and Sakura nearly runs into Sai's back.

"Sai—what's wrong?" she asks. Sai doesn't respond for a long moment. He tilts his head and turns to look down a hallway.

He glances at her. "Do you know where we're going? If we get lost in here, it'll be far too easy for one of Orochimaru's men to get to us."

She winces and draws back. Sasuke sighs.

"None of us know where we're going," he mutters. "And if we don't find out fast, well… Kakashi can't hold out forever. He's strong, but I think the other guy is stronger."

An impact shakes the building, and dust bunnies tumble from the ceiling. Sakura forces down the panic building in her chest.

"Maybe I can find him through the link," she hums, stretching out her senses, but Naruto's side of the link is muffled. His thoughts reverberate off of her skull until she can't make heads or tails of it.

Another tremor runs through the ground, more forcefully this time. Sakura almost stumbles.

Sasuke clenches his jaw. "This is hopeless," he growls. "We have no way to find him, and if we start guessing we'll never get out of here!"

Sai blinks.

"Or, we _could_ guess—just with a little extra help," he contributes suddenly. Sakura stares at him in surprise as he motions towards Sasuke. "There's always Sharingan. You're a Pathfinder. Find the path."

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "That isn't how it works," he protests, but activates Sharingan anyway. After a brief moment, he blinks as if startled and steps forwards.

"I—" he begins, and then stops, peering down the opposite hallway. Sakura watches him with bated breath.

"I see him," Sasuke says quietly. "I see Naruto—he's not moving."

Sakura's stomach clenches in fear.

"How far?" she asks, clenching her fists to stop them from shaking. She believes in the power of their Pathfinder. Sasuke bites his lip.

"Not sure," he says, and then frowns. "Follow me."

He takes off at a sprint and Sakura gasps at the speed, forcing her tired muscles into motion. Sai takes up the rear, patient with her struggles even though he seems just as eager to get to their final teammate as the rest of them, and his hand stays on his tanto.

Sasuke leads them through hallways and corridors, unmarked save for numbers etched into the sides of the doors and an occasional set of claw marks that cuts deep into the metal walls. Sakura isn't sure if they're all from the same person, or thing. She hopes it wasn't Naruto.

Sasuke suddenly stops short—she comes up behind him and freezes when she sees what lies in front of them.

Bodies line the floor—they're wearing armored vests, and there is a curious assortment of shattered weapons on the tiled floor beneath them, katanas and machine guns alike.

"The other teams have already been through here," Sai says, stepping forwards and narrowing his eyes at the carnage. "Is this the way, Sasuke?"

The Pathfinder tears his eyes from the bodies and nods. Sakura grimaces, flinching when she notices the senbon embedded deep into a man's—

She turns away and faces forwards. Sai gives her a worried look, but she shakes her head and motions for him to keep moving. Sasuke is already surging ahead, picking his way through the wreckage. He's pale, but that seems to be the extent of his shock. Sakura swallows nervously and follows him.

As they weave their way through the maze of the building, dull thuds and gunfire start to be audible in the distance. Sakura tries to ignore it, but it gets louder and louder—they're headed towards the battlefield. She's very _not_ okay with that, but she trusts Sasuke, and they're _so_ close to their goal.

Sasuke stops again just before they enter through a pair of steel doors. The sounds of conflict are so close now that Sakura's ears are ringing. There's a battle going on inside the room in front of them, she knows it. Sasuke swallows, and Sai draws his tanto.

"Is there no other way to get to Naruto?" the assassin asks grimly. Sasuke shakes his head and jerks in surprise when a particularly loud _boom_ shakes the floor.

Sai sets his jaw. "I will protect you as much as I can," he says determinedly, and draws two kunai. He hands one to Sakura and the other to Sasuke. "You might have to defend yourselves. I can't be in two places at once."

Sakura shudders at the thought. "We can't just… wait until it's over? It can't last much longer…" but as soon as she says it she knows they can't afford to wait. Their link with Naruto is weak. Something is wrong, and unless they want it to get worse they have to go, now.

She clenches her fist around the hilt of Sai's blade and ignores the way her hands shake.

She's sixteen. She's never fought before—those few lessons with Kakashi during pit stops while they had been headed for her teammates don't really count, because Kakashi hadn't wanted to hurt her and she had been more focused on her teammates than she had herself.

That doesn't make her any less determined to go through with this, even though she's half ready to either drop into a faint or turn tail and run as far away as possible. Her teammates are behind her. Sasuke is fierce and furious, and Sai is calm and dangerous. If anyone can make it through the fray, they can.

Sakura will just have to keep up. She refuses to be left behind.

They don't need to talk. In silent agreement Sai pushes open the door and leaps inside. Sakura steels herself and follows him into the chaos.

The first thing she sees when she opens the door is Gai. It's quite frankly difficult, if impossible, to _not_ see him, because he's actually glowing. His eyes are red, and there's an eerie green aura surrounding his entire body. He's squared up against a strange boy with bones sticking out of his skin and snow white hair.

"Sakura, move!" Sasuke hisses in her ear, and she obeys, racing around the wall towards the door on the opposite side of the room—it seems so _far away_ —

There's a huge crash, and a figure flies from out of nowhere, hitting the wall in front of her hard. It misses her by a mere foot. She shrieks in surprise.

Obito coughs and begins to extract himself from the Uchiha-sized hole in the wall, but he freezes when he notices her. "Sakura? What are you _doing_ in here, we told you to stay put!"

She jumps, excuses on the tip of her tongue, but before she can say anything someone roars on the other side of the room—a large man with a tuft of orange hair on top of his head. Rin is facing him down fearlessly. Her punch lands on the man's face and he goes reeling, but as Sakura watches he growls, and tattoos begin to spiral across his skin. Rin pulls back warily. Obito swears, glaring at Sakura and Sasuke in panic.

"Ugh, just—ahhh, stay there! Don't move!" he orders. Kamui whirls him away, and he emerges from it across the room just in time to pull Rin out of the way of what would have been a devastating blow.

Sai appears in front of them, his tanto flashing in the dull light. The blade drips with red.

"Hurry!" he shouts, and Sakura makes a mental note to apologize for the heart attack Obito will surely have once he realizes they're gone again.

Genma is dancing skillfully around a woman with red hair and a furious expression on her face. The remains of a wooden flute are clenched tightly in her fist, but it's been torn into several pieces by Genma's senbon. She's still struggling, but Sakura can see the match is over. Genma launches into a flurry of close-combat moves, landing a devastating kick into the woman's jaw. She goes flying with a horrific screech, and Genma doesn't even hesitate to follow.

A man appears in front of her—a lowly guard, but he's holding a knife, and she stiffens when his gaze falls on her. He may not be on the same level some of the other opponents, but he's holding a knife, and she's an easy target. He sneers at her cruelly and charges.

She lifts her kunai desperately. She's too slow, and she watches in horror as his knife comes down—

Sasuke throws himself in front of her, Sharingan whirling. The man staggers back, eyes going wide, but Sasuke doesn't slow, driving his kunai into the man's stomach.

Sakura doesn't wait to see what happens next. She turns her head and bolts forwards, past the gurgling man and towards the door. Across the room Raidou and a man with glasses who must be Ebisu are tag-teaming a man with… does he have _two heads?_ She doesn't have too much time to be shocked, because half a moment later she is showered by splinters and fragments of wood. Just in front of the door Yamato is hurling tendrils of wood from his palms at a dark shape clinging to the walls—some kind of insect-human? She ducks her head as Yamato's opponent hurls a storm of blades at the Sealer.

Sai grabs her arm out of nowhere and tugs her out of the way. His eyes are narrowed in concentration as he deflects a stray projectile, and when she glances to the side Sasuke is right behind them.

"Almost there!" he says, but she has to lip-read because the clashes of metal-on-metal and war-cries filling the air have grown too loud for her to hear anything else.

They run for the door, slipping past Yamato who can only spare them a quick glance before he's forced to refocus on his opponent.

They make it through to the next room, and Sakura nearly collapses. Her heart is beating so quickly that it feels like her chest is about to explode.

Two minds brush against hers comfortingly, and Sasuke grabs her hand.

"Are you okay?" he asks. There's blood splattered across his face, but he doesn't seem to notice. She takes a deep breath. She's exhausted, and there are cuts and splinters across her arms from Yamato's battle—other than that, she's unharmed.

"I'm okay," she reassures him (a bit unsteadily, she's shaken, that's for sure). "What about you?" she asks, because Sasuke had just _killed a man._ He shrugs.

"Not hurt," he says calmly, and Sharingan whirls in his eyes. "We're close. Can you keep going?"

She _refuses_ to slow her team down. She forces herself to her feet.

Sakura keeps forgetting how different the three of them are. Sai was born to kill, and Sasuke was forced to learn how to defend himself. They don't think the same way she does. Sasuke had protected her without hesitation—had killed without hesitation to defend their team.

Is she willing to do the same?

Sasuke is moving again, and Sakura pushes herself to keep up. Sai keeps shooting her worried looks, but she ignores him. He can feel her unease—but she's not going to let it get in the way of their mission. Naruto is waiting.

Sasuke slows at an intersection for a moment and frowns.

"He's right beyond this wall. Just a little further. I think there's someone else with him, I'm not sure—"

Without warning a white-hot surge of energy stabs through their link. Sakura screams, falling to her knees as searing pain blasts through her head. Sasuke drops like a stone in front of her, and Sai lets out a harsh, half-stifled yell.

It _burns._ It's _agonizing_ and _excruciating_ and _tortuous_ and Sakura just wants it to _stop_ —but she can't move and neither can her teammates. Her head throbs—she lifts both hands to mash them against her temples but it does nothing against the horrific ache. It's as if someone has thrust a knife into her brain and _twisted._

She clenches her teeth together and almost chokes on the ragged gasp that spills from her lips. Sasuke and Sai are just as incapacitated. Sasuke lets out a moan. "Just behind… the wall, he's, he's just— _aaahhhh_ — _!"_

Sakura lifts her head, and her vision whites out for a half second. When it returns, she sets her eyes on the wall.

It hurts to think. It hurts to breath, it hurts to move, but she _has to._ They're _so close_ , and Sakura hasn't come all this way to fail now.

The pain is coming from Naruto. Naruto is behind the wall. Sakura has a solution—but it just might kill her.

The effort it takes to get just one foot underneath her steals her breath away and sends a fresh wave of agony through her body. She nearly falls.

If she looks at anything else, thinks about anything else, she'll fall. She fixes her eyes on the wall and breathes.

 _It hurts._

She struggles to her feet. Sways. She's panting, half blinded by tears and wincing with even the tiniest of motions.

The wall. She needs to get to the wall.

She takes one step, and it feels like she's dying.

"Sa—Sakura," Sai whispers, but she can barely hear him through the roaring in her own ears.

She takes another step, and this time she stumbles, but she falls forwards instead, and her palms smack against her target. Her knees are trembling, they nearly give out.

Naruto. She's so close. Naruto, Naruto—

The wall.

A long time ago, Kakashi had taught her about Connector powers. Body enhancement, he had mentioned, and Sakura has seen it. Has watched as Rin takes down men twice her size, makes craters in the ground with nothing but her fist and her power.

Sakura's never done it before, but if she doesn't now, she knows that they'll die here. Orochimaru will find them, and then it will all be over.

She raises herself to her full height. Staggers at a fresh wave of agony, but she pushes through it and reaches for her power. It pulses and spreads at her touch, flowing through her veins—it doesn't stop the pain, but it does make it easier to stand. She clenches her fists.

Sakura closes her eyes and punches the concrete wall.

It shatters, easily as glass, and just like that the pain stops.

Rubble and dust fill her vision—she can't see anything for the first few moments, but when the air clears she catches sight of blond hair.

 _Naruto._

He's tied to a table, out cold. Before she can race for her final teammate someone else moves at Naruto's side. He has grey hair, but he can't be that old—his glasses are slightly askew, but he scowls at her viciously.

"Little brat," he hisses. He turns towards Naruto and reaches for the unconscious boy's head. Instantly Sakura knows he's the source of their earlier pain. She tries to move forwards, but her muscles don't obey her.

A kunai whizzes past her cheek and stabs the man's palm. He pulls back with a howl. Sai darts past Sakura, tanto a bright line of silver in the lingering dust. It slashes across the man's chest, and he falls backwards with a cry of pain. Behind her, Sasuke gets to his feet.

"Sakura, is Naruto alright?" he groans. She swallows and walks forwards with massive effort.

It doesn't feel real. She'd imagined their reunion with Naruto thousands of times, and even now, with her hand reaching towards him, she's still not convinced that it isn't a dream and that her hand will pass right through him.

Her fingers nestle in soft blond hair, and she blinks.

It's real.

She fumbles for a pulse and sighs in relief to find that it's steady. The straps holding him down are glowing—she eyes them warily. Sasuke is behind her, and he narrows his eyes at them.

He turns around towards Sai, who's sheathing his tanto. "These symbols on the restraints—I think it's a Sealer thing. Can you break them?"

Sai glances over at them and frowns.

"Perhaps," he says worriedly. "Keep watch while I try, alright?"

They back off to give Sai room, and he pulls out his scroll and ink, sketching out ruins and symbols and pictures that Sakura could never even hope to understand.

She reaches for their link and prods Naruto gently. His mind and body are equally motionless, and she shudders at the sensation. Whatever they did to him, it's not good, and she prays they'll be able to fix it.

"Maybe this," Sai suddenly mutters. A line of symbols rises from his scroll and fit themselves above the ones on Naruto's restraints. After a brief moment the lines flash, and then shatter. The restraint falls away. Naruto's left arm is free.

Sakura breaths a sigh of relief, and Sai grins.

"Three more," he says.

" _BEHIND YOU!"_ Sasuke yells, and there's real fear in his voice. Sakura dives to the floor instinctively, and Sai whirls as Sasuke is blasted backwards by a column of pure energy. He hits the far wall, slides to the floor, and stops moving.

" _Sasuke!"_ Sakura screams—

And then Orochimaru is in front of her.

"Hello, child," he says, smiling nastily. "You've given me enough trouble today for me to play nice. Stay still."

He pulls her off of the floor by her hair. She fails to stifle the whimper that escapes her throat. Sai draws his blade.

"Put her down!" he snarls.

Orochimaru sighs. "Kabuto, if you would take care of him?"

A blur of motion appears, and Sai cries out as a hand grabs his wrist and twists. The bone breaks. It's hardly the worst injury Sai's ever had, but he's forced to drop his tanto. In another instant he's been slammed into the wall, arms pinned behind him, and there's a knife against his throat.

They grey-haired man from earlier holds the blade—the man Sai had killed less than a minute ago. There's still a massive wound in his chest, but as Sakura watches it begins to close itself.

Regenerative abilities.

"Thank you," Orochimaru hisses, and Kabuto chuckles.

"No problem, Lord Orochimaru," he responds. "Your earlier theory about pain being transmitted through the link was correct, by the way. What are we going to do with them? Are the rest dead yet?"

"The silver-haired Protector is," Orochimaru says smugly, and Sakura lets out a wordless cry of denial, because Kakashi _can't_ be dead. He _can't be._ She would have felt it if he'd died… right? She kicks at Orochimaru, but it's as if she's being held by a brick wall.

"They'll be very useful for my most recent project," Orochimaru continues. "Knock him out, we'll take them to the cells."

Sai growls and twists, but with a knife to his throat there's very little he can do to escape. Kabuto touches a blue-tinged finger to his forehead, and the assassin goes limp.

 _No, no, no, someone, anyone, please_ — _help us! This can't be it! Please, please!_

Her scalp burns. Orochimaru leers at her.

"This will be painless if you do not move, girl," he tells her, and lifts a hand.

 _STOP, STOP IT PLEASE NO, NARUTO_ — _!_

A low growl sounds from behind them. Orochimaru freezes.

"Impossible," he snarls. "There's no way it could have gotten loose—"

He turns, and then hisses out a curse. Sakura slips from his fingers, and she hits the ground hard. Malicious energy curls through the air. Hatred and anger are almost tangible.

She raises her head, and gasps in shock.

It's Naruto… but it's not Naruto. Somehow she knows what it is.

The glowing red creature, pulling itself free of the restraints, is the Kyuubi. Kurama, Naruto's nine-tailed fox. It lets out another growl, and Orochimaru actually takes a step back.

"It shouldn't have been able to get free!" he says, and there's a hint of worry in his voice. "Those restraints were perfectly regulated to keep the fox contained!"

Kabuto is already retreating. His face is pale in the wake of the Kyuubi's rage.

"Unless…" Orochimaru continues. He glances down at Sakura. "Did you undo a restraint, foolish girl? Answer me!" His foot lashes out, and connects with the side of her head. Her vision flickers.

An earsplitting roar tears the very air apart.

When Sakura is able to lift her head she only catches bits and pieces of the fight that occurs. The wind whips around the small room, and the Kyuubi's crushing power makes it hard to breath. She sees flashes of claws, watches a splatter of blood dot the wall. The Kyuubi growls, hisses, roars, and the very earth trembles. Kabuto screams.

Then, as soon as it had begun… it ends.

She'd closed her eyes at some point, and she only opens them when she feels something rest against her arm.

A glowing red tail has settled around her. There's only six of them, she realizes, not nine, and she isn't sure what that means.

Kurama is… less fox-like than she'd expected. He's vaguely humanoid, and glows like a neon sign. There's no fur—it's more of an aura, if that makes any sense. He's staring at her intently, and she… isn't afraid, but she's wary. The fox is in Naruto, but he isn't her teammate. She isn't sure if she can trust him yet.

"Is that man—did you kill them?" she asks in a small voice. The Kyuubi nods slowly. He doesn't speak. She wonders if he can.

"T-thank you," she manages. "Thank you for rescuing me—us."

He nods again, and then a violent tremor runs through his body. The tails begin to fade. Sakura gasps in shock as the red glow starts to recede, and sudden there are bright blue eyes in place of the empty ones Kurama had shown.

"Naruto?" she gasps. He grins at her, but the expression is a bit strained. As the Kyuubi's aura disappears his skin is revealed inch by inch—

It doesn't look good.

"That means Kurama likes you," he says hoarsely, and then he falls. Sakura shrieks, leaping forwards with healing magic at her fingertips. She barely manages to catch him—he's heavy.

Their link is back. It's a little raw, still recovering from the earlier pain. She ignores the ache and reaches for her teammates. Sai is unresponsive, but he only seems unconscious. Sasuke stirs when she touches him, and Naruto cracks open his eyes. In the back of her head there's a brief flash of _hurt_ from Kakashi—so at least he's alive. His teammates will find him.

She closes her eyes to concentrate on healing Naruto, pushing her energy into his body. It's hard. His skin has been destroyed now, but there are other wounds inside his skin—bones that haven't healed properly, bruises that stretch across his muscles.

She hardly knows where to start.

Naruto laughs weakly. She's heard it before, but this time it's _real_. She has to keep reminding herself that. She can finally _touch him._

"Sorry," he pants. "I didn't really mean for that to happen, but I guess it turned out okay in the end, right?"

"Why are you apologizing?" she says incredulously. "It's fine, you—or the Kyuubi, whoever it was—you saved us."

"It was me and Kurama together, I think," he hums. His head lists backwards as if he's given up on keeping it upright. "We didn't like seeing you hurt. I just… lost a little control. That's why it hurt so bad."

She winces. "You did good," she reassures. Behind her, Sasuke struggles to his feet, nursing what appears to be a broken rib. He staggers towards them, eyes wide. Naruto blinks and lifts his head.

"Sasuke?" he whispers—Sasuke swallows audibly.

"Here," he says. "I'm here, we're all here—"

He's shaking. Sakura is too. The Uchiha makes his way next to them and sits down on the floor, one hand reaching for Sakura and the other grasping at Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto lets out a tiny chuckle of relief and smiles.

They've found their final teammate. Even though they're still deep in enemy territory, in that brief instant Sakura suddenly feels more at peace than she has in her entire life.

Stomping feet suddenly echo through the room, and she freezes as the blood drains from her face— _more_ enemies? Sai is still on the ground, and the rest of them are almost too exhausted to stand. Panic seizes her for a half second.

Sasuke lets out a weak growl and pushes himself to his feet. Sharingan whirls to life, but it's weak, spinning slowly—their last line of defense. He winces at the sensation but faces the door determinedly—

Yamato steps through the doorway slowly and freezes when he sees them. Sasuke doesn't back down, so Sakura reaches out and taps his mind gently.

 _Friend. Safe. Calm,_ she projects towards him, and the tension bleeds out of his muscles as quickly as he'd put it there. When he staggers, Yamato catches him—and this time Sasuke doesn't flinch away.

"Is everyone alright?" Yamato asks, narrowing his eyes as he glances at the blackened corpses in the corner of the room that Sakura has been avoiding looking at.

"We're alive," Sakura tells him, and her entire body sags in relief once she's said it. "We're alive, Yamato—all four of us."

He smiles—but there's something a bit off about it. She tenses as he hoists Sasuke up into his arms like the Pathfinder weighs nothing and crosses the room to do the same to Sai.

"What… what's wrong?" she asks, but before he speaks, she already knows the answer.

"Kakashi's been injured," he informs her worriedly. "Orochimaru is stronger than he is. It's… it's bad this time. Rin is working on him."

Sakura swallows nervously as fear returns. If they lose Kakashi so soon after they've all made it together… she doesn't know what she'll do.

"Can you carry Naruto?" Yamato asks doubtfully, and she's about to respond negatively when she remembers that she actually _can._ Channeling her power is easier now that she's already done it once, and despite the circumstances Yamato gives her a pleased smile when she lifts Naruto into the air. The blond doesn't even protest. She's done her best to heal him in the short time they had, so he at least isn't howling in pain at the motion.

She follows Yamato out the door, and leaves the corpse of Naruto's torturer behind without a shred of remorse at his fate.

* * *

Naruto yelps in surprise when they emerge and he's half-blinded by the natural light of the sun, but they don't have time to take things slowly.

The earth is pocketed by craters and scorch marks—Kakashi hadn't gone down without a fight, but that hadn't done much to change the outcome of the battle. She almost trips on a slab of jutting rock as she heads towards where the other two teams have gathered.

Rin is kneeling above Kakashi's still form, hands pressed tightly against the gaping hole in his side and green energy leaking from her entire body. Obito stands guard above them, pacing worriedly, but there's not much he can do to help. The sight of the blood makes Sakura's head spin, but she presses forwards anyway.

Gai, Genma, Raidou, and Ebisu are mostly unharmed. Raidou has a long but shallow cut across his back, and Ebisu has a sprained ankle. Genma is fussing over Raidou's wound while Gai hovers somewhat uncertainly around Kakashi, sobered in the wake of the Guardian's injury.

"Not to worry, my Rival is much too strong to die from such a simple wound!" he booms, but it lacks the level of enthusiasm he had maintained previously. Sakura brushes past him and heads right for Kakashi.

"Sakura," Rin greets tensely. Her forearms are covered in blood. "I've used too much energy, I can't stop the bleeding. Do you have any strength left?"

Sakura swallows and sets Naruto down. She has energy left, yes—just enough to access her strength, but healing takes a significant amount of control and finesse that she definitely doesn't have at the moment. That isn't going to stop her from trying.

She kneels. Rin shifts over a bit to give her space, and Sakura ignores her trembling muscles, reaching deep inside herself for the green glow.

Kakashi's blood is warm beneath her fingertips. She watches in morbid fascination as their combined energy begins to close the wound. It gets about halfway shut before it stops.

Rin swears. "Not now, come _on!_ Don't die on us now, you idiot!"

Sakura is panting, and a bead of sweat trickles down the side of her face.

Even when they work together, she and Rin have used up too much of their energy during the fight. With a jolt of terror, she realizes it's not going to be enough.

If she can't pull more power from _somewhere,_ Kakashi is going to die.

A hand suddenly closes around her wrist. She jumps and spares a glance down at Naruto. He's sitting up, eyes narrowed.

"Stop panicking," he says quietly with a voice of steel. "I'm here now. I'll protect my friends."

His grip on her arm tightens, and a surge of power flows through her veins. It's almost too much—her nerves spark and tingle from the sensation. Naruto's power is scalding hot and heavy, but it serves its purpose. Sakura does her best to channel it into her healing, and Kakashi's wound _finally_ closes. His skin knits together until there's barely even a scar, and the tension that had hung in the air dissipates. Kakashi isn't at risk of death anymore.

"He'll be fine now," Rin sighs in relief. She pulls her hands back and smiles wearily at Naruto. "You're the reason he's alive. Thank you."

Obito steps closer, peering at his unconscious teammate. "So, he's alright? Can we celebrate yet?" he asks hesitantly.

Sakura snorts, but before she can reply Kakashi lets out a tiny moan. She freezes.

"Naruto…" Kakashi forces out. "Naruto, did—did we get Naruto?"

Naruto himself grins brightly and leans forwards.

"You got me," he says cheerfully. "I'm…" he trails off, and pure shock suddenly echos through their link. Sakura freezes—what's wrong _now?_ She's not sure she'll survive if anything else happens, she's just so _tired_ and she wants their team to be together and happy and _safe_ —

But Naruto isn't looking at approaching enemies, or back at the lab. Instead he's looking up at the blue, cloudless sky, and there's a look of pure _awe_ on his face.

"I'm outside," he breathes. "I'm… I'm finally _outside."_ The joy that radiates through her mind is like nothing Sakura has ever felt before. Naruto laughs—an unrestrained, bubbly sound that takes Sakura's breath away.

"I'm _outside!"_ Naruto cheers, and leaps to his feet. His eyes are incredibly wide as he turns in place, gasping in delight at the trees and shrubbery that surround them. A flock of birds rise into the sky. Naruto laughs again. "Sakura, do you _see?_ I haven't been outside in… I don't even remember last time I was outside! Isn't it great! Look how amazing it is—! Ah… Sakura?"

He stops, because he notices that she's crying.

"Oh, no—uhh, sorry? I don't—what's wrong, why are you—?" he flounders, looking wildly around for help.

Sakura just can't stop. Tears trickle down her cheeks, because she's so relieved that it's over—it's all over, they can go home now and her team can come too, but she's exhausted too, and Naruto _doesn't even remember last time he was outside_ but that doesn't matter now because he's free and he can stay outside for as long as he wants…

She's… just a little overwhelmed.

She gets to her feet. Naruto is still watching her worriedly.

"Sakura?" he says slowly. She doesn't let him say anything else, and grabs him in a tight hug. He stiffens for a brief moment before he relaxes and returns the gesture.

"I can touch you now, too," he mutters in amazement, breath tickling her ear, and she almost laughs, but it turns into a sob at the last moment.

"You're finally safe," she chokes out. "You're safe, you're coming home with us. Okay?"

He squeezes her tightly. She can't see his face, but she feels his overpowering elation and relief.

"Okay," he whispers. "Okay, I'm coming home with you."

The final piece clicks into place, and for the very first time since the dreams have began, Sakura feels complete.

* * *

 **A/N: Originally, I had planned for this to be the second to last chapter. However, it isn't anymore. I've got more stuff planned. Updates will slow as the semester starts, especially with stories with long chapters such as "Only in Sleep" and "Way Down We Go". "Dominoes" will probably get updated slightly more often as its chapters are shorter. Sorry about that, it can't be helped!**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! The team may be together, but there's still plenty of problems to go through before they're safe! Don't get too comfortable yet!**


	11. Itachi

"Hi, Dad," Sakura says cheerfully into her phone. "How are you?"

In the background behind her, Naruto shouts something unintelligible, and Sasuke, who is closer, yells an indignant "Dead last!" back. She rolls her eyes as her father chuckles.

"I'm fine, Sakura. And yourself? How's Konoha treating you?"

She grins and glances around the room—their shared living space Konoha has provided them with. Naruto and Sasuke are wrestling aggressively on the floor, and Sai is leaned against her side, pretending to be asleep. She takes care not to jostle him too much anyway, because even now, six months after their team has been completed, he doesn't get much rest. It's a habit he'd been forced to develop while under Danzo, and he's slowly breaking the habit although he's not quite perfect yet.

"Konoha is good," she tells her father truthfully. "The man in charge—ah, his name is Sarutobi—he's very kind to us. Naruto adores him."

"I hope he isn't giving you difficult missions," her father worries, and Sakura rolls her eyes.

"Don't worry, Dad, they're not too hard yet. We're not high-ranking enough to go on anything too intense. Besides, Kakashi is always with us, and sometimes the rest of his team as well."

"I know, I know," Sakura's father sighs. "I still worry, you know."

She smiles. "We're pretty strong ourselves," she reminds him. "And we're getting better every day."

"Glad to hear it," he replies. "Don't worry, I know you're strong. You, erm, broke the table last time you came to visit, remember?"

Sakura squeaks in mortification. " _Dad!"_ she protests. He laughs. "I thought we agreed not to talk about it! And we fixed it! It was Naruto's fault anyway!"

"Alright, alright," he reassures her. "The new one came in a couple days ago. It's pretty nice. Your mother is fond of it already."

Sakura bites her lip.

"Is… is she doing okay?" she asks quietly, and her mood dampens quickly. Her teammates feel it, and Naruto and Sasuke quiet. Next to her, Sai lifts his head slowly and puts a hand on her shoulder.

 _Hang in there, ugly,_ he sends her mentally, and she smacks him lightly. Despite the insult, the familiar banter makes her feel better.

Her father sighs. "She's… okay. She's been very quiet, but I believe she'll return to her usual self in time."

Sakura swallows, and the pang of sorrow she feels has Naruto and Sasuke approaching her carefully, shoving her to the side so they can crowd onto the couch with her. There's a brief moment where they jostle for the better spot—Sasuke wins, and settles on her opposite side with a triumphant smirk. Naruto scowls at him, but settles for taking the edge position with a roll of his eyes.

"Is she… is she angry?" she says tensely.

"No," her father replies immediately, and with such surprising force that Sakura flinches. "She's not angry. She's just concerned. She… overreacted when she realized what you could do. The stress, combined with the strain on her mind, was too much for her to handle. I'm _sorry,_ Sakura."

"You don't have to apologize," Sakura tells him automatically. "I'm not angry either, you know. I… I wouldn't react well if any of my teammates died. I can understand, just a little."

They stiffen at her sides. Sai sits up completely, and Naruto makes a low growling noise in the back of his throat.

They don't like to think about that.

"She'd… be happy to hear that in person," her father suggests slowly, but Sakura shakes her head.

"Not yet," she tells him. "I don't think I'm ready to talk to her yet. Tell her… tell her that I still love her, no matter what, but I need a little time first." It's so, so hard to have to say those words, but Sakura isn't ready to face her mother yet. Given time, she knows that will change, but for now, she needs to stay with the people she knows are safe. Her father understands.

Naruto grabs her shoulders in a comforting gesture, and Sasuke leans into her side. They know how hard this is for her—how painful the sacrifice is, but she wouldn't give up what she has now for the world.

There's a brief spark of sensation from Kakashi suddenly, and Sakura perks up a little.

"Sorry, Dad," she says. "I need to go. Duty calls, you know how it is." Her father chuckles.

"Be careful," he reminds her dutifully. "Have fun, if it's that kind of mission. If it isn't… look after your teammates. Good luck!"

"Love you, Dad!" she calls. "Bye!"

She hangs up just as Kakashi pokes his head into their room. Their Guardian blinks at their positions on the couch.

"Everything alright, you four?" he asks. Sakura smiles.

"We're alright!" she answers, both to him and to her silently questioning teammates. They relax at her words, and Kakashi eye-smiles.

"Good. You all up for a mission?"

Naruto cheers. "Finally, something interesting!" he shouts, and bolts from the couch. Sasuke is nearly thrown to the floor from the movement, and glares at the blond in annoyance.

"As long as it isn't another babysitting job," he mutters, and Sakura grins at him.

"What, you didn't like that one? It was fun! She was so cute!"

"She was a four-year-old ball of slobber and sparkles," he grunts. Sakura stifles a giggle at his sullen look.

"I must agree with Sakura, that was quite the entertaining mission," Sai chimes in, rising from his position gracefully. "Are you just jealous because Naruto got to be the princess and you didn't, Sasuke?"

This time Sakura does laugh, and Naruto turns to grin at them.

"She said I was the prettiest princess to ever grace the earth! Sasuke could never hope to match me!" he crows boldly, and does a little sashay to prove it.

"That's not true, I'd be better—!" Sasuke starts to protest, driven by his pure instinct to compete with Naruto, and then he realizes what he's saying. His face flushes as Sakura and Sai snort at him.

"Shut up, all of you," he growls, but it's half-hearted. By the door, Kakashi waves at them.

"There _is_ a mission for you, if you're finished," he reminds them fondly. They assemble in front of him quickly after that.

Kakashi surveys them briefly. "Right," he says. "Our mission today should be entertaining, at least, and not too difficult. There's a group of mercenaries who've been harassing a little village a couple countries over. Our info claims they aren't too impressive skill-wise, but no less annoying to the people. It'll be good practice for you all."

"Sweet!" Naruto cheers again. "Let's go!"

Kakashi grabs Naruto by the back of his shirt before the blond can speed off. "Hold on, we don't have Obito with us this time around, which means we'll have to take the long way there."

They groan collectively. That means more packing, more waiting, and driving shifts.

"Come on, go pack. The whole mission should take us six days maximum, but be prepared for eight. You know the drill by now."

The boys begin to make their way towards their individual rooms. Sakura turns toward her own, but before she enters Kakashi speaks again in a low voice.

"Sasuke," he says slowly. Sasuke pauses in his doorway, and looks back at their Guardian. He raises a single eyebrow.

Kakashi stares back at him. "We might meet up with your brother on the way there. Would that be alright?" The flash of unease, excitement, and nervousness that jolts through their link from Sasuke is out of character, but not uncommon whenever Itachi is mentioned.

"That's fine," Sasuke answers evenly. He does a fairly good job at hiding his emotions outwardly, but none of them are fooled. Sasuke turns on his heel and disappears a moment later. Sakura takes a deep breath and does the same.

At the very least, the mission will be a good opportunity for her to test some of the new moves Rin has taught her, and she clenches her fists in excitement.

* * *

Uchiha Itachi is a spy.

The best spy, actually. To Sakura, that explains plenty—but it doesn't justify it, not by a long shot. He'd been recruited by Konoha at a young age—thirteen, and once he'd gotten old enough to commit to his missions full time he had immediately been thrust into deep cover under the farce of going to college.

He isn't Connected to anyone, which only makes it easier for him to survive in enemy territory. There are no volatile emotions racing through a mental link to threaten his carefully crafted character. He'd been absolutely furious, once he'd found out what had happened to Sasuke. Sakura doesn't remember too much from the first day she'd met Itachi, because Sasuke had frozen in shock and stared in disbelief as his older brother proceeded to shout at the director of Konoha until the man finally caved to Itachi's demands.

Now, provided Itachi can get free of his assignment long enough without causing suspicion, Sasuke is allowed to meet with him once every month. It isn't an ideal situation, but Itachi is too deep into his current mission and can't afford to leave everything he's worked so hard to build.

This will be the fourth time they've gotten to see him, and Sasuke is near vibrating with excitement and agitation. His flickering emotions are starting to get on Kakashi's nerves—from the driver's seat of the Konoha-issued van their Guardian occasionally glares back at them, but he doesn't say anything. Sasuke is still just a tad delicate when it comes to his brother.

Sai is tactless, as usual. "Quit fidgeting with the link," he sighs. "You're going to drive us all mad." Kakashi makes a not-so-subtle noise of agreement. Sasuke glares at them, thoughts sharpening for a moment, but then Naruto jumps in to play peacekeeper.

"Oi, what he means is that there's no reason to freak out, idiot," he says quickly. "Your brother will be happy to see you, you don't need to worry."

"I know that!" Sasuke snaps, but he relaxes when Naruto leans closer to him—both physically and mentally—for comfort.

Kakashi drives them into the parking lot of a large and very nice looking hotel on the outskirts of the city. Sakura stares at it in confusion for a moment as Kakashi gets out.

"Well, are you coming?" he asks, and the four of them jump, scrambling to follow them outside and through the doors of the hotel lobby.

"This is… kind of weird," Sakura mutters and Sai nods next to her, eyeing the receptionist at the desk warily.

"If the hotel staff turn out to be assassins I reserve the right to say I told you so," he mutters back to her, hand straying towards his hip where his knife belt rests—the tanto was too obvious to bring this time, so he'd reluctantly left his trusted weapon behind while they pretend to be normal civilians.

She tilts her head and listens intently to try and hear what Kakashi's saying as he leans casually over the desk. She can't quite make out the words, and sighs in annoyance, but then Naruto leans towards her.

"... _seen you for a while, Kurenai_ ," he quotes softly, eyes narrowed in concentration. " _Is he here yet?_ " he pauses, and then continues in a slightly higher voice obviously meant to imitate the woman, " _He's here, and you're late. I don't know why I'm surprised."_

Kakashi laughs at that, loudly enough that they can hear it without Naruto's help. Sasuke and Sai lean closer as well to listen.

" _There was a kitten stuck in a tree, and we couldn't leave it_ —" Naruto pauses his translation to snort before continuing, raising his voice for the female again. " _Well, it's good for him that you're here now. I worry for that boy. That organization… do you know who they recruited, a few weeks ago? That monster from Kiri, Kisa_ —wait, Kakashi interrupted her, uh—" Naruto stumbles over his words, struggling to keep up with the conversation. He lowers his voice again. "Kakashi says, _Careful, we have eavesdroppers. It's rude to listen in, Naru…"_ He trails off as Kakashi turns his head.

They break apart, fast. It's far too late. Kakashi already knows, but the ripple of amusement that runs through their bond lets them know that they aren't in trouble. Their Guardian exchanges another brief sentence with the woman—Kurenai, and nods at her as he returns.

"Let's go, you four," Kakashi says, herding them toward the elevator. He lowers his voice. "While I don't appreciate the blatant eavesdropping, I am impressed. How did you do that, Naruto?"

Naruto grins as they enter the elevator, and Sasuke presses a button with a gesture from Kakashi. "It wasn't really me, it was Kurama. Foxes have pretty good hearing. He told me he could help me hear, and let me use some of his power."

Kakashi hums, and pats Naruto's hair.

"Good work. But remember that I'm more than capable of sensing when you're using it to eavesdrop on me."

Naruto pouts, but he looks pleased at the praise. His friendship with the Kyuubi is impressive, but it does make sense—the sixteen years they spent with only each other for company did wonders for their teamwork. Sakura hopes that in time, their human team can function similarly.

The elevator stops, and Sasuke's emotions start to get out of hand again. Sakura sighs, reaching back to grab his hand. Naruto grabs his other limb, and Sai presses a hand on Sasuke's back.

"Calm down," Sakura reminds the Uchiha as they begin walking down the hallway. "For Pete's sake, Sasuke, you've seen him before this. Stop freaking out."

"Who's Pete?" Sai asks her, and she can't tell if he's being serious or mocking her so she elbows him in the ribs. He hisses at the blow, and if anything the familiar banter is enough to make Sasuke relax. Kakashi eye-smiles at them, and then stops in front of a door.

"It'll be this one," he tells them, and then looks at Sasuke. "Would you do the honors?"

Sasuke tilts his head, takes a deep breath. Sakura squeezes his hand once before she drops it.

Sasuke knocks, and after a brief moment, the door opens. It's very anti-climatic, and before Sakura can even do more than glance at Itachi, Kakashi has shoved them inside and closed the door.

"Sorry about that," Kakashi apologizes to them. "The walls have both eyes and ears in places like this. We're taking a risk by being here in the first place."

Sakura feels a twinge of unease at his words. If they're in danger, why are they here at all?

A moment later Sasuke's joy sweeps through the bond, and she forgets her doubt in the wake of Sasuke's happiness.

"Brother, it's good to see you," Itachi says calmly, and smiles softly at Sasuke. The spy leans forwards and reaches out a hand to tap Sasuke on the forehead gently. "I hope you've been doing well."

Sakura never knows what to expect when the brothers get together. At first she'd thought they would hug, hold on to each other in some way, but neither of them have ever initiated such an action towards the other—they seem to be content just with the other's presence.

"It's good to see you too, Itachi," Sasuke says equally calmly, but they can feel his elated thoughts. Sai snickers at him softly.

"As much as I would love to spend all my time with you, I'm afraid I have some business to take care of first," Itachi explains quickly, tearing his eyes from his brother to look at their Guardian. "I have some things to tell you, and then I would like to spend time with my brother."

"That's what we're here for," Kakashi says, nodding. "Information first, then?"

"Please," Itachi says. He indicates for Kakashi to follow him politely, and then flashes a quick smile at Sasuke. "I'll only be a moment. I have some more… delicate information in my possession that must return to Konoha."

He and Kakashi disappear down the hallway, and Sakura glances at Naruto to see if he's listening in. He seems more interested in the magazine on the couch then he does Itachi, and Sai has already sat on the couch, drawing absently in his sketch pad. Sasuke seems a bit shell-shocked, staring after his brother wistfully, so Sakura sighs and sits next to Sai.

"What are you working on now?" she asks him curiously. "A new creation, or just something for fun?" Sai's creations were a flashy display of his Sealing powers and his artistic talent. They ranged from his original tiger to tiny mice, and his latest had been a majestic dragon that had filled nearly the entire room before Sai had called it back to the scroll.

Sai hums. "For my own entertainment. I've been working on it for a few weeks now, actually."

"Really?" Sakura asks, suddenly curious. Sai tends to finish his projects quickly, if only so he can begin a new one. "What is it? May I see?"

Sai hesitates for a moment before he tilts the sketch pad towards her.

Naruto grins back up at her from the page, so lifelike even in black and white that it makes her jump. His face is completely finished, sporting a wide grin and eyes glinting with mischief. Sai has paid extensive attention to tiny details, like the little scar on his forehead, and the lock of hair that always refuses to cooperate. There's even a tiny nine-tailed fox roughly sketched in the corner, waving its tails about.

Sakura gasps in wonder and looks up at Sai, who seems a little insecure. He has no reason to be. His skills far exceed anyone else. She sends her amazement and approval through the link. He jumps at the praise and then smiles—a _real_ smile.

He's gotten better at those lately.

"It's incredible," she reassures him. "It looks exactly like him!"

Naruto and Sasuke shift closer to take a look as well. Naruto in particular seems pleased, tracing Sai's careful lines reverently and giggling at the little fox.

Footsteps sound as Itachi and Kakashi return. Sakura's head snaps instinctively towards the noise, as does the rest of her teammate's. Kakashi eye-smiles at their simultaneous motion.

"Good to see my training is finally kicking in," their Guardian hums. He sounds normal, but the back of his mind prickles uneasily, bristling with worry. Sakura prods at him curiously and isn't surprised when he blocks her out. His eye drifts over her warningly, and she sighs, properly chastised.

Sasuke sits up straighter. "That was fast," he says, glancing between his brother and Kakashi. "Are you guys finished already?"

"We are," Itachi confirms, making his way to Sasuke's side and sitting next to him. "It's not much, but it's important that it gets back to Konoha." He exchanges a meaningful glance with Kakashi before turning his full attention to his brother. "So, Sasuke, what have you been up to?"

Sasuke's face lights up, and his breathing hitches for just a moment. The ping of tremulous hope and safety that flows from his mind makes Sakura's heart throb. Sasuke had been betrayed by his family once before, and it had devastated his life until they'd been able to rescue him. Itachi loves Sasuke with all his being, and wouldn't have left his brother behind had he been aware of what was going on. Sasuke still trusts him, and it's wonderful to see him speaking to someone with such enthusiasm.

"We've been training a lot," the Pathfinder starts. "Our team is strong. We haven't failed a mission yet, and we don't plan on it, either." The note of pride in his voice is echoed by Naruto, who lets out an approving sound at the mention of their spotless track record.

"Impressive," Itachi says, and the single word of approval sends Sasuke into another spiral of happiness. "You must be working hard. Kakashi's a better teacher than he thinks he is."

Sakura blinks. "How do you know that?" she asks, glancing at the Guardian. Kakashi rubs the back of his neck.

"I helped with some of his training when he first joined Konoha. We had some good times. Yamato usually came with us. Assassinations, scouting, fun stuff like that."

Sai snorts, and Sakura rolls her eyes. It was amazing how quickly she'd been desensitized to the daily violence that was now part of her life.

"I'm not sure I would call it fun," Itachi says, a note of amusement sneaking into his voice. "Is he still late to everything, you four?"

"Yeah, he is!" Naruto cries. "It's annoying! It takes away from our training time, you know! He made us wait for _three hours_ once. _Three!"_

Itachi chuckles. "You haven't changed at all, Kakashi" he says. "Taught them anything fun yet?"

"Everything I teach is fun," Kakashi replies, prompting strangled groans of protest from Sakura's teammates. The combat training is somewhat enjoyable, but the stamina and tactics lessons are painful, both physically and mentally.

"Although," Kakashi continues, "I was thinking of training Sasuke in some kenjutsu, sometime in the near future. You interested? You always were better at it then I was."

Itachi's eyes widen, and he shoots a quick smile at Sasuke. "I'd be happy to help, if I wasn't caught up in… well, this whole mess. You'll be a natural at it, little brother. Most Uchiha are, unless your name is Obito."

Kakashi chokes out a laugh, obviously not expecting the jab. "True," he gasps. "He nearly stabbed himself in the foot last time."

A quick flash of disappointment flickers through the bond from Sasuke's end, followed by hope and a heavy sense of determination. The sensation makes Naruto grin.

"You'll teach me when you're finished with your mission, right, Itachi?" Sasuke questions, and Itachi tilts his head.

"Of course," he replies. "Until then, you should begin learning the basics from Kakashi. When I get back I'll teach you everything I know."

Naruto pouts. "Hey, if you're gonna teach Sasuke kenjutsu, can I learn too?" Kakashi lifts an eyebrow, and Sai answers for him.

"We can barely trust you with a kunai these days, much less a sword."

Sakura giggles at Naruto's indignant look, and Sasuke smirks. Before the conversation can continue, a chime cuts through the air. Itachi freezes. So does Kakashi. In half an second the atmosphere of the room is tense.

"What is it?" Sakura asks. Itachi pulls a phone out of his pocket and checks it. His face goes even paler than normal as he reads a received text.

"Itachi," Kakashi says, voice low and thick with hidden meaning. Itachi looks up and fixes Sasuke with a gaze that is apologetic and fearful at the same time.

"He's coming," he breathes. "He's coming back sooner than I thought. You five need to get out of here."

Kakashi stands abruptly, pinging them all over the link with urgency. "Let's move. Out the window, all of you."

"But we're on the fifth floor-"

"A man we do _not_ want to fight is coming up the elevator right now. We don't have a choice. Out the window, I don't care how you do it." Kakashi is deadly serious. Sai is first to move, darting for the window with Naruto hot on his heels. Sakura follows them, but Sasuke doesn't move, staring at his brother instead.

" _Sasuke!"_ Kakashi barks, and Sasuke jumps. Itachi pokes his forehead gently.

"You'll see me again, little brother," he reassures. "Train well." Sasuke swallows, nods, and races for the window, grabbing Sakura's outstretched hand when she offers it.

Naruto and Sai are already long gone. Sakura doesn't have a plan, but Sai's mind urges her onward.

 _Jump,_ Sai instructs, so Sakura grabs her Pathfinder's hand and jumps.

They fall two heart-stopping stories before one of Sai's creations, an elegant eagle, catches them. It wheels into the sky, high enough to escape notice and lining up with the second bird Naruto and Sai are on.

"Everyone okay?" Naruto asks over the wind, and sighs in relief when everyone replies positively. They're just waiting on Kakashi, now, and there isn't any doubt that their Guardian will be fine.

 _Come around to the front,_ Kakashi orders calmly, pushing at their minds reassuringly when they press to make sure he's safe. _I'll meet you by the car._

Sakura glances at her teammates. Their minds are filled with confusion and dismay. There are a _lot_ of secrets being held right now—too many for them to be comfortable with. They need answers.

Not that Konoha is likely to give them any.

Sai directs his creations to drop them off in an alley a few blocks away from the hotel, to avoid any unwanted attention. They return to his scroll once the team has returned to the ground. Sakura's heart is racing. They walk about a block in tense silence before they can collectively calm down.

"Who was it?" Naruto asks eventually, breaking the silence. "Because seriously, Kakashi looked freaked out. You've gotta be _really_ strong to do that."

Sakura shivers. "I'm not sure I want to know," she admits. "Orochimaru was bad enough. I'm glad we all got out in time."

Behind her, Sai nudges her shoulder gently and pokes her through the bond.

 _Watch Sasuke,_ he says, and she blinks, glancing at the Uchiha. Sasuke is biting at his lip nervously, eyes darting to the hotel still visible several streets over. Sakura sighs.

"Sasuke, your brother is fine," she says. "You don't need to worry about him. We weren't seen, and Itachi has been doing this for a long, long time. Do you think Kakashi would have left if he had thought your brother was in danger?"

"No," Sasuke mutters. He still sounds troubled, but he does stop biting his lip. Sakura can feel him shoving his worry to the back of his mind in an effort to put it behind him.

Kakashi meets them by the van, leaning casually on the vehicle and glancing up at them when they come into view.

"Good to see you're all still in one piece," he says. "Sorry we had to cut the visit short. We weren't expecting Itachi's current partner to be back for at least another hour."

"It's alright," Sasuke says, startling them all. "I'll see him again soon, anyway. He promised."

Kakashi eye-smiles. "He did," he confirms. "Itachi doesn't break promises."

"I know," Sasuke replies. "I know he doesn't."

Sakura smiles.

* * *

As expected, Kakashi doesn't answer any of their questions. He's the master of dodging their carefully worded inquiries, and keeps his end of the link carefully filtered. Sakura is impressed with his control. Several hours pass while they ride to the site of their next mission, and Kakashi doesn't give away a single thing. Even Naruto can't make any headway. That doesn't stop them from trying, all the way up until Kakashi parks the van in a dimly lit parking garage (by then it's dissolved into a game of who-can-annoy-Kakashi-the-most, but it's the thought that counts).

"Alright, that's enough," he says once he's stopped driving. Sai cuts off his long string of insults, looking slightly disappointed that he wasn't able to finish. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto snicker as he sends them the rest of it via their connection. Kakashi snorts, too, but then he gives them all a gentle nudge to remind them that it's time to get serious.

"Listen up," Kakashi says. "The information claims that these bandits aren't too strong individually, but there are lots of them. What they lack in strength, they make up for in numbers." He glances over the team. "We do the same, but the difference is that we're powerful alone, too. This will be an exercise in teamwork and connection. Work together, fight well, and our mission record will stay as clean as ever."

Naruto whoops in excitement and leaps for the door. Kakashi lifts a hand to stop him, but it's already too late—Naruto darts out into the parking garage, staring as if he expects enemies to pop out from behind the pillars, weapons drawn and ready for battle.

"Easy," Kakashi reprimands him as they disembark from the van. Sakura feels him give the younger Protector the mental equivalent of a flick. Naruto winces, then turns back to them with a sheepish grin. The four of them turn to Kakashi for further instructions, but before he can speak another voice cuts across the garage, echoing in the tight area.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Kakashi of Konoha. I'm surprised to see you here. Where's the rest of your team? Left you in charge of babysitting, I see."

The surge of anger that echoes through the bond comes from all five of them. Kakashi's head whips around—presumably towards the speaker. Sakura couldn't tell where the voice had originated from, but Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai have already turned in the same direction. Sakura shares an annoyed glance with Sasuke, the only other member without extensive training or sensory powers, as the two of them follow their teammates' leads.

Kakashi's eye narrows, and they jump as raw energy begins to ripple around their Guardian's body.

"Zabuza, of Kirigakure," Kakashi says smoothly. Sakura doesn't recognize the name, but Sai stiffens and draws his tanto.

 _Trouble,_ he says over the link, and in unspoken agreement Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke close ranks around the other two, falling into battle-ready stances.

"I have to admit, out of all of the men I could have imagined Gato hiring, I did not expect you," Kakashi continues. "I would have thought him more likely to kill you than hire you."

The deep voice chuckles. Sakura tenses as tendrils of mist begin to creep towards them, seemingly from out of nowhere. It curls around them, filling the already dark parking garage with smog. Sakura takes a deep breath, backing up a few steps so that she can feel her teammates' body heat behind her.

"So I thought as well," Zabuza says, and he sounds so much closer this time. Sakura clenches her fists. Beside her, Sasuke's sharingan whirls to life. When he grabs her wrist, her vision shifts, and suddenly she can see a dense cluster of power through the mist. It's moving quickly, circling them like a shark. "He seemed desperate when he came to us. And if you're here, that means he made the right choice."

A whistling noise makes Sakura jump, and it's only Naruto's shove that saves her from the kunai that slices through the mists. Their protector growls, and Sakura shudders as an intense aura begins to seep from the blond.

"Show yourselves!" Naruto hisses. "You talk big, but I can't see anything but cowards through this mist!"

A chuckle resonates through the air. Sakura steels herself and reaches for her power reserves, relaxing as strength fills her body.

"Your protector is strong, children. I'm impressed. But… he's not that strong."

Suddenly Kakashi, who had been in front of them, barely visible through the thickening mist, whirls. Sasuke's eyes widen at the same moment.

" _Down!"_ they shout in tandem, and Sakura doesn't think—she ducks, and just in the nick of time, because something sharp and deadly whirls above her head.

The moment they're all distracted, still crouched and waiting for the sword to return, Zabuza attacks.

He looms out of the mist like some sort of demon, striking out at Sai, who's a hair too slow to react. As the assassin spins, tanto flashing, Zabuza grabs him by the throat and flings him into the mist.

"Sai!" Sakura shouts, reaching frantically through the link. Sai sends her a brief sense of reassurance, but she catches the flash of pain before he can hide it.

Kakashi throws himself at Zabuza, and shoots off a fireball that carves a path through the smog. Zabuza uses his sword to knock it aside, and then there's a clash of metal as Kakashi's kunai collides with the massive weapon. Somehow, Kakashi is able to hold his own in the clash, holding Zabuza's sword motionless.

"Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke!" he shouts as his arm trembles. Naruto darts forward, and Sakura and Sasuke follow him.

They've done this in training too many times to count. Sasuke focuses his sharingan on Zabuza and concentrates. Zabuza lurches unsteadily, and Kakashi gains a few inches. While he stumbles, Naruto comes careening in from the side. Zabuza doesn't see him coming, courtesy of Sasuke's sharingan. Naruto slashes Zabuza's side with Kyuubi-influenced claws, and Sakura follows him, landing a forceful punch to Zabuza's exposed chest. Their opponent goes tumbling backwards. The final blow of the combo is Sai's, who would have landed the finishing hit—but to Sakura's surprise, he doesn't emerge from the fog, and Zabuza gets to his feet.

Then he laughs.

"Your children are stronger than I expected, Kakashi," he says, leering at Kakashi. "I'm impressed. You've taught them well. They're much better than _my_ team ever was."

"Your team?" Sakura bursts out before she can stop herself. Zabuza's gaze turns to her, and she freezes under his sharp eyes.

"Yes, child, my team," he says. "They were weak. Couldn't keep up, weren't willing to work with someone like myself. Would you like to know what happened to them?"

Sakura shakes her head mutely in horror, but Zabuza ignores her.

"I killed them, children. Useless as they were, they couldn't even stop me."

"What?" Sasuke gasps. "What—how… you can't survive that! That's impossible!"

Kakashi's fists are clenched. "Zabuza did indeed kill his two teammates, a Pathfinder, and a Connector. They didn't have a Sealer. Some say it drove him mad… but others think he was mad far before then. He had to have been, to kill them so brutally," he explains grimly. Zabuza allows him to speak, a smirk visible beneath the bandages covering his face.

"After I kill you, Kakashi, I'll get rid of your children as well!" Zabuza growls. Kakashi tenses.

"You won't touch them," their guardian snarls, and suddenly the air is crackling with static. Sakura swallows as Kakashi's fury becomes tangible. "I'll kill you before you do."

He doesn't give Zabuza time to respond. Kakashi hurtles forward like a bullet, colliding with Zabuza so forcefully that an actual shockwave sweeps over the area, sending tendrils of mist whipping back. Naruto growls and moves forward as if to join the fight, but Sasuke grabs him before he can launch himself into the fray.

"Wait, you idiot," Sasuke hisses. "They're going all out. You don't want to be caught in the middle of that."

Naruto snarls in frustration, far too eager to throw himself into certain doom. Sasuke gives him a _look_ —a sharingan look, and Naruto blinks, battle haze disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

"Thanks," their Protector mutters, clarity returning to his eyes. "Kurama and I got a little too… eager. It won't happen again."

Sakura frowns at his words, struggling to keep up with Kakashi and Zabuza's dazzling fight. She's only catching bits and pieces of the combat, as the mist has returned in full force. She watches as Kakashi slides neatly beneath Zabuza's massive blade on his knees, kunai aimed right for Zabuza's thigh—but then they spin out of sight, and she doesn't see if the blow lands. A moment later she sees them again, illuminated in a spurt of flame from Kakashi—but Zabuza bats the fireball aside just as easily as he had the first time, charging forward—and then they are swallowed up by the mist.

A sudden spike of alarm rises up from Sai's end of the link. Sakura grabs at it and gasps at the flurry of emotions that shoot through their bond.

 _Sai?_ she questions worriedly. He sends her back an image. It's a group of men near the wall of the parking garage, armed with modern weaponry—large, intimidating machine guns. They're waiting at the edge of the mist, silent and motionless.

 _Who are they?_ Sasuke thinks, and their bond is finally developed enough that they can hear the individual words. _Why are they here? Are they part of the gang?_

 _Probably,_ Naruto responds. _Where are they, Sai? Kakashi has Zabuza covered. We can take these guys out._

Sakura sees Kakashi and Zabuza again, caught in a deadly dance of gleaming steel. They move with such grace that it barely even looks like a fight—it appears to be a well-choreographed routine instead.

Sai's alarm suddenly shifts, turning icy cold instead of hot. Sakura shivers at the sensation.

 _They've got a hostage,_ he tells them slowly. He sends them another image. A gang member is holding a young, androgynous figure at gunpoint. The figure is both blindfolded, gagged, and restrained. _It might be risky._

 _I can help with that,_ Sasuke responds. He turns away from the battle between Kakashi and Zabuza. _Tell us where you are._

Sai sends them a brief set of directions that's more sensation than anything else. Fortunately the link makes him easy to locate regardless. Sasuke leads Sakura and Naruto to Sai's position. He's taken up a hiding spot behind a heavy concrete pole of the parking garage, just out of sight of the gang.

"The guns are going to be a problem," Sakura whispers. Sai nods in solemn agreement.

"Not for me!" Naruto informs them smugly. "Kurama and I can shield ourselves from the bullets. We'll be the distraction."

Sakura can feel the plan coming together via their connection. Sasuke jumps in.

"While they're focused on Naruto, Sakura and I can take down as many men as we can before we're noticed. I'll use Sharingan to cover Sai's approach."

"I'll get the hostage clear," Sai says.

"I'll finish the rest," Sakura ends, and they nod in silent agreement.

Naruto steps out from behind the cover of the pole, red energy flaring around his body. He marches through the mist straight for the gang.

"Hey, bozos! Over here!" he shouts, and Sakura flinches as the rapid-fire sounds of machine guns pierces the silence. Sasuke rolls his eyes, and Sai slips silently into the shadows.

"Now," Sakura says, and pokes her head out of cover, grabbing the handful of shuriken from her pouch.

Naruto has done a fantastic job of drawing literally ever gunner's fire. The bullets ping harmlessly off of the Kyuubi's shield, while Naruto shouts and rages and slowly draws closer. It's easy to send her shuriken into the midst of the men, disarming several and injuring a great deal more. Sasuke's shuriken are a tad more lethal, but no less accurate. His Sharingan spin.

They do get noticed fairly quickly. Sakura yelps and ducks back behind cover as the men turn their guns in her direction. Sasuke squeezes next to her, and they flinch as metal slams into concrete behind them.

"Why don't we ever get guns?" Sasuke complains tensely. Sakura shrugs.

A moment later, the gang begins to shout in alarm. Sai's end of the link is smug, and Sakura knows he's been successful. The hostage is safe.

 _You're clear, Sakura!_ Naruto cries. _I'll protect you! Do it!_

His words, and the fierce loyalty that echoes through the bond, embolden her. She takes a deep breath and steps into the open.

Kurama's energy surrounds her. It's the first time Naruto has done such a thing, and Sakura is surprised to realize that she can _feel_ Kurama's mind like this, almost as if he's part of the link. He hums in amusement when she presses closer to him mentally, curious. His mind is _vast._ It's much larger than any of her teammates', and slightly intimidating.

"Sakura… not that I mind, but could you hurry?" Naruto grunts, jerking her back to the land of the living. He's behind her, out of the line of fire. "This is… kind of hard."

Extending Kurama's power to another person is new, and it's draining him fast. A bullet strikes their shield right in front of her. She flinches, but Kurama's energy holds.

The gang continues to fire on them. Sakura grabs at her energy, sends it flowing through her limbs, and slams her fist into the ground. _Hard._

She's been practicing this for a while, with Rin's instruction. The right application of force can send the shockwave in a specific direction. In the heat of the moment her strike is just a tiny bit off—Sasuke wobbles to her side, but the gangsters get the worst of it. They go _flying_ backwards. Some collide with the wall behind them painfully. All of them drop their weapons, and all but a few are knocked unconscious.

Sakura grins.

It's a simple task for Sasuke and Naruto to take out the stragglers. Naruto punches one out while Sasuke delivers a powerful kick to another that literally sends him spinning before he falls.

Once the gang is taken care of, Sai reappears, with the hostage in his arms. He sets the figure down gently, and they all gather around as Sai cuts through the rope tying the figure's hands together and pulls the blindfold and gag loose.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asks, concern lacing his tone. "Did they hurt you?"

The figure blinks up at them in confusion for a moment before their eyes narrow.

"They didn't hurt me," they say. "They wished to hurt another. I was not the target."

Sakura frowns. Something is… off about the figure. There is a strange aura around them, that almost reminds Sakura of… Sai?

"What's your name?" Naruto continues. "You're safe now. We took care of the gang."

"I am Haku," he replies absently, as if distracted. "You four… defeated the gang?"

"Yep!" Naruto answers, beaming proudly. Sakura exchanges a nervous glance with Sai. Something… isn't right. When she looks at Sasuke, he seems a bit uncertain as well. Sakura tugs at Naruto's mind worriedly, but he just shoots her a confused expression.

A roar sounds from behind them. It sounds like Zabuza. Haku's head snaps up just as Sakura feels a jolt of pain from Kakashi, even through their muffled bond.

"That's not good," Sasuke breathes. "Should we go help him?"

Suddenly, Haku _moves._

One moment Haku is there, the next moment he isn't. The freed hostage fades into the mist as easily as Zabuza does. Sakura starts to cry out a warning, but it's too late. Something hits the back of her head, sending her careening to the floor and making her vision flicker for an instant. Next to her Naruto yelps and falls as well. Sasuke and Sai manage to avoid the strange projectiles and tense in anticipation of more attacks, but none come for several tense seconds. Sakura slowly sits up and grimaces when she sees the fist-sized chunk of ice that had hit her.

Sasuke's sharingan whirls to life, and he peers through the mist. His side of the link lights up in alarm.

"Haku's going for Kakashi!" he yelps. "Kakashi won't see him coming!"

"Let's move!" Naruto shouts, and they're sprinting through the mist toward their guardian's mind.

Zabuza and Kakashi's battle has been fierce enough to create a clearing in the center of the mist. Sakura busts into the empty space just in time to see Haku raise his hands and create a storm of glittering ice needles.

"Look out!" she screams, too late—Haku fires the senbon right for Kakashi…

But the senbon are aimed at Zabuza, as well. Sakura blinks in surprise as the hail of senbon force the two fighters apart.

"What?" Sasuke mutters, and Sai frowns.

Haku walks in between the two fighters fearlessly. "Enough. There is no reason to continue this battle."

Kakashi narrows his eye at the newcomer.

"Why should I listen to you?" he asks. Across from him, Zabuza is still tense, but Haku turns to face the swordsman and gestures for Zabuza to lower his sword. Shockingly, Zabuza complies, placing the massive weapon across his back and relaxing just a bit.

"Zabuza is my Protector," Haku says. "He will listen to me. And our reason to fight you has become nonexistent."

Kakashi's visible eyebrow shoots up, and Sakura gasps. Zabuza had claimed he'd killed his two teammates.

"Explain," Kakashi demands, easing up out of his fighting stance. Sakura isn't fooled—his body is still tense and ready for action. Haku sighs.

"Zabuza found me after he had disposed of the other two teammates, and somehow we were still connected. I was too young to understand what had occurred, and he could not bring himself to kill an innocent child as he had his teammates. I do not judge him for such actions now. He has proved time and time again to be a reliable Protector."

"You're his Sealer," Kakashi says incredulously. Haku nods in confirmation.

"I was kidnapped by Gato's gang, who took me by surprise. They used me as leverage to force Zabuza into compliance. Now that I am free, he has no need to fight you." Haku makes his way to Zabuza's side and glances at his Protector meaningfully. Zabuza nods slowly.

"How did you escape?" the large man asks, voice gruff but softer with care. It's such a dramatic change from his roars from earlier that Sakura blinks in surprise.

"I didn't," Haku answers. "The Connected team took out my captors." He shoots Sakura's teammates a small smile. "They were most efficient. I owe them for their help."

Zabuza hovers a little awkwardly, as if unsure of how to continue. Eventually, he shakes his head and looks back at Kakashi.

"One day we will fight again and learn who is truly better," he rumbles. Kakashi nods once in acceptance as Zabuza begins to turn away.

"We're going to lay waste to everything Gato has, to avenge the way he exploited us," Haku tells them coldly. Zabuza growls in agreement, fury evident on his face. "I would assume that was your mission?"

"It was," Kakashi confirms. "You'll take care of it, then?"

"He will die painfully," Zabuza hisses. Kakashi takes a deep breath, and finally he relaxes for real.

"Good luck, then," he says. Sakura's jaw drops in shock.

"Thank you," Haku replies. Almost as one, he and Zabuza fade into the mist and disappear. The mist goes with them, and when the parking garage is clear again, the two Connected are nowhere in sight. Neither are the gang members Sakura had knocked out.

"You really think they were telling the truth?" Sakura gasps to Kakashi. "And how do we know they'll do anything of the sort? We have no reason to trust them?"

Kakashi joins them wearily.

"Zabuza is not one to give up on a fight like that," he says. "Not unless the things Haku claimed were true. That explains why he survived killing the first two teammates, after all. As a Protector, it's nearly impossible to die unless the rest of your team is already gone."

"They'll take care of Gato," Naruto says fiercely. "It's personal to them. And Gato deserves it for using a teammate like that!" His eyes are bright and filled with righteous fury. Sakura envies his ability to trust so easily. Sai and Sasuke look a little uneasy about the whole thing as well, but they trust Kakashi enough to follow him back to the van.

Kakashi has a horrific slash on his side that Sakura yells at him for not saying anything about an hour down the road. It only makes her more skeptical of Haku and Zabuza, because anyone who hurts her teammates are not easily forgiven, regardless of the circumstances of the fight.

(Four days later, after they've returned to Konoha, they get news that Gato's entire operation has crumbled and the man himself had been found dead in an abandoned warehouse. Naruto and Kakashi are smug about the whole thing, and Sakura, Sai, and Sasuke just roll their eyes.

It must be a Protector thing.)

* * *

 **A/N: As stated before, u** **pdates will slow as the school semester starts, especially with stories with long chapters such as "Only in Sleep" and "Way Down We Go". "Dominoes" will probably get updated slightly more often as its chapters are shorter. Sorry about that, it can't be helped!**

 **I've had the first half of this chapter written for SO LONG. And I apologize because the ending of this chapter is a little weak, but I was getting frustrated with it and just needed to end it and move on. So, sorry, the ending isn't my best work, but I hope you enjoyed it regardless. I was sick of staring at this chapter, so here it is! Perhaps I'll come back and improve it later, we'll see.**


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